Trigger
by xxfolkvir
Summary: The difference between the impossible and possible lies in a person's determination. Alex is full of determination and is not afraid to use it, but at what cost? Many paths are laid out in front of him; his choice will be the catalyst for many others.
1. Chapter 1: The Deal

**Disclaimer: **Characters are not mine! Duh! All of them belong to the wonderful Anthony Horowitz.

Chapter One: The Deal

"You are the ones shaping our future. Make your own decisions……..," droned the principle on the stage of the spacious auditorium. It was career day at Brookland Prep. Rows upon rows of hard plastic chairs seated the entire student body as they listened to the uninspirational speech that the principle was spouting. Even the staff had looks on their faces that spoke of boredom created by years of hearing the same speech over and ever again. The students, however, were far from quiet. Spit balls flew across rows and notes were passes from hand to hand. None of the students were paying much attention to the presentation and the teachers made half-hearted attempts to stop them.

_Choices, my arse!, _thought Alex bitterly. He was never given a choice when Blunt and Mrs. Jones made him go on a mission. Hell, they even blackmailed him with Jack's visa. That was where this whole mess started. A decision that changed his whole life. It was not like he could say no either, he had saved the world at least seven times over. However, it was Jack's expression that cut him to the heart. Each time he came home, a little more scarred from his missions. Jack, the woman he though of as his sister, was afraid that he wouldn't come back one day. Alex wondered about that too, what if he died? He shuddered and shifted in his seat.

As Alex squirmed in his seat, he felt cold metal touch the skin of his back. He felt assured by the weight of the small Beretta 92FS stuck in the waist of his jeans. It had been his dad's. He had found this gun as he was perusing the boxes in the attic of his house. It fit perfectly into his hand. This little weapon was the catalyst for a lot of changes recently. He reminiscened happily while listening to the monotone speech that was still going on stage.

_Alex Rider dialed the Royal & General Bank using the special phone that M16 had given him. All he had to do was press seven and it would direclty route him to into the main office of Blunt and Mrs. Jones without the hassle of contacting them through the front desk._

_Mrs. Jones had picked up half-way through the first ring. That was fast, Alex had thought. _

_"Hello Alex, is something wrong?" asked Mrs. Jones in a worried tone._

_"No, not at the moment, but I would like to request a meeting with you too," smirked Alex. _

_"A meeting? About what?" said Mrs. Jones, a bit unsure._

_"We can discuss this at the meeting. Can I come now?" said Alex._

_"Alright, I'll send someone to pick you up." Answered Mrs. Jones. Ever since that horrifying incident outside headquaters which nearly lost her favorite agent, Alex, she became extremely wary of transportation safety. She always had a soft spot regarding Alex. _

_Soon a black Range Rover pulled up to the entrance of the Royal & General Bank and out walked a teenage boy. Shaking the blond hair out of his eyes, he proceeded to enter this high-end bank. He nodded to the receptionist and continued into the elevator which took him to the 14__th__ floor even though there was not a button for it. _

_Mrs. Jones and Blunt were waiting for Alex in the meeting room. As he walked down the hall, several people glanced curiously at him._

_One person even asked in a nasally tone, "Lost, are you?"_

_Alex replied mockingly, "No, I work here." He smirked and walked away. He could literally feel the guy's glare burning a hole in his back and the astonished gazes of the others. _

_"Hello Mrs. Jones, Mr. Blunt"said Alex in a pleasant tone as he sat down on the other side of the desk that the two spymasters were sitting on. _

_"What brings you here today?" asked Mrs. Jones, while unwrapping a peppermint and popping it into her mouth._

_Without beating around the bush, Alex __said, "I am here to make a deal. You people have used me way too many times. What did I get out of these missions? Pain and horror. I have seen too much. Much more than I need to at this age. I'm only fourteen! Don't get me wrong, I am proud that I saved all those lives, including my own. However, I want something for myself. It is simple. I want sufficient payment for all the missions I have completed for you. I can't live my life off of Uncle's Ian's money." Mrs Jones look relieved, thinking it was only money that Alex wanted, but Alex wasn't finished. _

_"I also want the permission to carry around this gun," said Alex as he pulled it from his backpack, "during school. I know you don't even allow me to have a gun during missions, but I don't feel safe. Look at it this way, if you can't even protect me outside your own headquarters, how do you expect me to be safe at a school?"_

_Mrs. Jones winced and said, "Hold on, let me discuss this with Mr. Blunt." Both Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones put there heads together and spoke through heated whispers. After a few more minutes of intense arguments, Mr. Blunt resignedly nodded and Mrs. Jones looked triumphant._

_Mr. Blunt said, "We will pay you and give you permission for the gun. We trust you will handle it accordinly and show no one at school. However, what will you give us in return?"_

_Alex gritted his teeth and said, "I shall be available to you in the future, if and only if you protect Jack, while I am away."_

_Both spymasters looked astonished at this turn of events. They always knew Alex hated going on missions, but they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. _

_Mr. Blunt said, "Great. I shall event put your name on the record and give you full agent status. Here is your agent number…….."_

A sharp prod in the back broke him away from his musings. He turned around to glare at the offender.

Alex saw Brian grin at him stupidly saying, "You can't even get a job can you? Always sick or getting stoned if the rumors are true. No one would want to hire you, you loser."

"I do have a job," said Alex through clenched teeth. Tom, his best friend, put arm on his shoulder, ready to restrain him if necessary.

"Oh? A job, selling crack?", sneered Brian.

"No, that would be your job. Mine needs skill and intelligence which you have little or none of." Smirked Alex as he turned back around to face the front.

"Why, you little….." Brian said, but was cut off by a fearsome glare by a teacher standing next to row. "This isn't over, Rider."

Alex didn't answer.


	2. Chapter 2: The Struggle

Chapter Two: Struggle

Alex sat back in his chair and groaned. It had been over an hour and still the principle had not finished his presentation yet. He didn't know how much more he could take before dying of boredom. He chuckled to himself quietly. He could imagine the headlines already: _M16's Teenage Spy, Tragically Killed by Boredom. _

He closed his eyes and shifted his body to the left to get more comfortable. Creaking open his eyes, he saw a silver pattern dance on the wall. A relection. It's weaving strands of wisp entranced him, disappearing and appearing gracefully. _Kind of life,_ he thought morbidly. One moment there, and gone the next. He remembered Yassen Gregorovich, his godfather, his parents, Uncle Ian, all the ones lost to the world due to one single action. A trigger. It didn't matter whether it belonged to a gun or to device. All of them died because of a split second decision.

_This is the life I lead,_ thought Alex, _one full of death, yet full of life._ He mused to himself, _I could do with more school. Just to be normal schoolboy, for once. To complain about boring presentations, to snipe with rivals. This is life. You know what? I'll ask Tom to come over for dinner. Haven't had a decent conversation with him for awhile now. Maybe we'll even go play football for awhile._

He turned around to ask Tom to come over this afternoon and froze. The right side of the auditorium had many large windows which offered the perfect view of the lawns outside, but that was not what Alex was staring at. On the clean cut lawn parked six large black Range Rovers.

All blood drained from Alex's face as he saw what was etched in gleaming silver on the pitch black hood of the cars. It was a silver scorpion. SCORPIA had come to Brookland Prep. He gave a low moan of horror and shock. Alex felt his bullet wound twinge from his last encounter with the organization. He had almost died and most surely did not have much of a chance surviving the second time around. His mind chanted no, no, no, in perfect tempo with his thundering heartbeats.

His friend, Tom, by now had noticed Alex's distress. "What's wrong Alex? Alex!" whispered Tom, urgently. Tom looked towards where Alex was staring out and squeaked, "No!"

Alex, who barely heard him, was busy biting back his fear. Hurriedly, he took out the cell phone M16 had given him and proceeded to dial seven. _Come on, come on,_ he urged in his mind, _pick up!_ On the second ring, Mrs. Jones answered.

"Hurry. Bring backup, M16, SAS, I don't care! They are needed at Brookland! There are six SCORPIA vehicles parked outside the school. I'll try to hold them off as long as I can," snapped out Alex, as quickly as he could while still being quiet and hung up.

By now, the principle had long stopped talking and most of the staff and student body were silent. They had all seen him pull out his phone and blatantly use it while glancing out the window.

"What is going on Mr. Rider? You know that cell phone use is strictly forb……"started the principle. He never got to finish his words as a resounding crash echoed in the auditorium.

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that covered the room. All heads turned the double doors that now hung off its hinges. A pair of black boots was the first thing that entered the room followed by a man dressed in a immaculate charcoal gray suit. He was a tall man with a crown of fair hair and had the coldest grays eyes that were like chips of ice. A cruel smile played about his thin lips as he beckoned to the people behind him.

A group of eight people filed in the broken doors. They all looked the same, dressed in the same black body armor. Each of them carried a fully loaded Glock 17. Only their faces remain uncovered. Alex reckoned he knew some of these SCORPIA operatives. He had seen them around on Malagosto. Indeed, one of them met his eyes and sneered. Ah, yes he remembered now. That sneering guy was Cain, a callous man who had been present in many of his bomb building classes on the training island. Alex, not to be deterred, glared right back.

All attention riveted on the man in the gray suit when he spoke, "Well, well, well. Seems to me like I've forgotten the visitor's passes. Silly me. No worries, I don't think we will be here long enough to need them anyways." He glanced about the room, taking in all the frightened faces of adults and children alike. One particularly stood out to him. He had seen the fair head of one Alex Rider, the murder of Julia Rotham and other various members of SCORPIA leaders. _Tonight is the night that the Rider's brats life ends_, he thought. He looked into those serious brown eyes of Alex and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3: The Decision

Chapter Three: The Decision

The man in gray suit walked slowly across the hardwood floors. His fellow SCORPIA members followed behind him. The only sound that could be heard in the auditorium was the slow thuds of nine pairs of feet. They ascended the steps onto the stage and proceeded to align themselves facing the audience. The cold man was in the middle and other nine stood around him in a semi-circle. The principle and the staff members scurried to the sides and corners of the stage, terrified of them. Luckily for them, SCORPIA did not care about these petty humans. They were here for only one person.

The man surveyed the audience in disinterest. His cold eyes made many students flinch and whimper.

Then he opened his mouth and said, "Students of Brookland, I have a favor to ask you. It is a simple request. I am looking for a boy among you. Many of you probably know him. Why, he's probably famous around the world as well, only in certain organizations of course. He knows who he is and he's sitting in this room right now."

He smiled mockingly and looked around the room to see the students whisper fearfully to each other. Who among them had brought these people to their school? People fidgeted and glanced at each other as if they could spot the person among them. Only one student remained stoically silent, his mind whirring with different scenarios, which all ended…badly. Said student nibbled his lip worryingly, what was he going to do? He cursed M16 in his head. Where were they when you most needed them? Oh, that's right, sitting in their offices and saying Alex will handle everything.

Discreetly, he patted his jeans, trying to find the familiar shape of a certain keychain. It was a soccer-shaped key chain with a finger-print sensitive trigger in the middle. This special keychain made by Smithers, bless his heart, doubled as a smoke bomb that could knock people unconscious. Said keychain was currently sitting on the table beside his bed at home. Alex cursed in three different languages when I realized that all his pockets were empty except for the one that contained his cell phone. Of all the days, to forget the keychain! He had no other weapons or devices other than the gun that was pressed up against his back.

If it came down to it, would he be able to make the decision? One little pull of the trigger, and life could end. It was all for the greater good, wasn't it? He knew he wouldn't miss. After all, it was SCORPIA, who had trained him. To be an assassin, one of the best. He had gotten the highest shooting score at the range in Malagosto. Ironic, wasn't it? His hands trembled slightly as he contemplated this situation. It stood against everything he believed in. He was not an assassin, not a murderer. He believed saving lives. He stared straight ahead.

Tom, Alex's best friend stood next to him and saw the tension and stiffness rolling off Alex in waves. Tom felt sorry for his friend. He realized that his friend probably felt like this every time on a mission. Tom shuddered because he couldn't stand feeling so scared that he was getting wobbly in the knees. He felt awed by his friend. Alex looked so calm standing there, if not a bit weary. Alex will know what to do. We will get out of this alive.

Tom muttered to Alex, "Are you alright?"

Alex, still staring straight ahead, murmured, "Yes."

Tom felt a bit more reassured. If anybody could get them out of this, it would be Alex.

By now, the cold man had started speaking again, "You see, I'm not a very patient man. I don't like lingering in one place to long. I shall give you three minutes to get him up on stage, and then we can be on our merry way."

"And what if he doesn't? What happens then?" called out Tom bravely. He could hardly believe his own nerve, but no use crying over spilled milk. He just hoped they won't kill him outright.

The man turned his frigid glare in Tom's direction, "If he doesn't? Well, that would be most unfortunate. We will kill one of you every minute he delays to get on stage. You can be first…..Tom."

Tom gasped. They knew exactly who he was. Of course they would. After all, it was SCORPIA who had paid for a replacement base jumping kit for his brother. His faced turned a bit gray.

Meanwhile, the auditorium was swept by a tide of whispers. How did these dangerous people know Tom's name? Tom was a scrawny kid, not much of notice. He always hung around that Rider kid. The delinquent.

The man started speaking again, "Oh look, your three minutes have ran out. I though he would of made himself known by now. Seems I was mistaken. Pashvit!"

Pashvit, a SCORPIA operative raised his gun up, ready to fire. He was unlikely to miss since all of them had been trained under the careful eye of SCORPIA teachers. The crowd drew a collective breathe. This was it. A killing right in front of their eyes. Some had tears streaming down their faces, but no sound was heard from them. The only sound was the click of the safety switch of the gun. Tom, in shock, made no effort to move. After all, how does one dodge a speeding bullet? He closed his eyes.

"NO!" shouted Alex as he stood up. All heads turned to look at him. "Stop! Do not kill him. He is innocent. The one you want is me."

Again, the student body murmured like a swarm of angered hornets. Rider, that delinquent kid! The one who is always absent and says he's sick. We always knew there was something wrong with that one. Just look at him with all those scars. No doubt he got them all from gang fights or something. This is probably a rival gang come to collect revenge. How did Rider get tangled in this mess, he was always a good kid until his uncle died. These were the whispers that passed form ear to ear in the rows of students.

"What are you doing Alex?" gasped Tom.

"What I should have done awhile ago. This is all my fault." Said Alex to his friend.

"That's right Alex, this is all your fault. Now, I want you to come up here on the stage. We are going to have a little chat," said the cold man.

Alex clenched his jaw and pushed his chair away. The scraping of the chair made everyone flinch. It was like the sound of a death toll. He walked calmly down the rows of people, meeting none of them in the eye. His footsteps echoed as he walked towards the stage. When he reached it, he vaulted up onto the raised platform. He strolled over to the middle of the platform where the cold man was standing. The SCORPIA operatives shuffled restlessly.

"So Alex, little Alex. Do you know who I am?" asked the cold man.

"No, not particularly." Answered Alex. He peered closer at the man. Somehow the man looked familiar to him. An elusive face, he couldn't quite place it. The pale blond hair and those cold gray eyes. He had seen those somewhere. Then it clicked. This man looked like the male version of Julia Rotham. Julia, who was now dead, crushed by a hot air balloon basket because Alex had cut it loose. Julia, who had been the leader of Scorpia. His bullet wound gave a particularly nasty throb, as if to remind him what was probably going to happen right now.

The man watched the play of emotions across Alex's face and saw his fists clench for a brief second.

He said, "Yes, I am related the Julia Rotham. I am actually her brother. James Rotham. You killed my only sister, you little brat." James face took on a feral look, eyes gleaming maniacally. "I will make sure you suffer for what you did to her."

Alex's eyes hardened and he looked upon James contemptuously.

"I say good riddance. Clearly, her insanity has been passed on to you." Sneered Alex.

James's face contorted. How dare that little brat speak to him like that. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. The crowd looked on in horror as James raised and pointed it at Alex.

Alex tensed.


	4. Chapter 4: The Trigger

Chapter Four: Trigger

"You know what the problem is?" asked James in a deadly whisper with the gun still pointed at Alex. "It's you Riders. You guys just can't keep your noses out of where you don't belong. And what do you get out of it? Death, if I'm not mistaken. Your dad, your mum, your uncle, and heck, even your godfather is dead. And you know what's twisted? It was your own godfather who pressed the trigger that killed your parents. How do you feel about that?"

Alex narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "SCORPIA's fault."

James said, "What was that?" He didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he took the hand with the gun in it and slammed it into Alex's face.

Alex felt a blinding pain on the right side of his face. He reckoned he could even feel a bruise forming, not to mention his painful split lip. He spat out a mouthful of blood, careful to make it splatter on the man's shoes.

James laughed coldly, without mirth. "Today, however, it all ends. I will personally have the pleasure of erasing the bane of the Rider family out of existence. Look at SCORPIA now, all weak, afraid to even take out a mere boy. No longer, I shall do what they are unwilling to. I shall rebuild SCORPIA into the most powerful organization in the world." He said, turning to the crowd.

_That was the fundamental problem with all villains_, thought Alex through the throbbing pain centered on the right side of his face. _They all talk too bloody much! They always detail their evil plans so they can watch the effect of their words. Too bad it doesn't work on me anymore. I've heard one too many. _

As James turned back around, gun raised and ready to fire, Alex made a split second decision. Years later, he would remember this decision. One of the turning points of his life. One that would haunt him forever.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he aimed a roundhouse kick at James temple. The foot connected and James was knocked unconscious, crumpling to the ground in a boneless heap. He did not watch to see if James had hit the ground. Instead, in one fluid motion, Alex caught James's gun as the guy fell and grabbed his own from behind him. Armed with two guns, he turned around to face the eight other SCORPIA operatives.

He knew without a doubt that the other eight men were cruel and would not hesitate to shoot his classmates. Not like Yassen, who refrained from killing children. These men were trained killers and would kill without a thought now that their leader was down.

Alex knew what he had to do. His mind had never been clearer. His decision was made. There will be not casualties on his side. He was determined to protect them at all costs. SCORPIA coming had been his fault and he would make sure that no one paid for his mistake. Alex steeled himself. He raised both of his guns.

Eight.

Eight times he squeezed the trigger.

Eight times he felt the shudder of the bullet exiting the barrel.

Eight times he heard the thud of a dead man hitting the ground.

Eight times his heart pounded.

Silence.

Then the sound and his thoughts came rushing back to him. His ears were ringing from the shots he had fired, those lives he had ended with a single pull of the trigger each. _Hadn't missed one_, he thought detachedly, _precise too. Right through the head where there was no body armor to protect them. SCORPIA would have been proud. He had done exactly what they taught him to do. _

_Where does this put him no, _he wondered as he stared at the neat array of dead SCORPIA operatives in front him. They hadn't been quick enough to kill him. He was quicker. _Am I a mass murderer or a savior, _he asked himself. Alex shuddered. He felt so numb and hollow standing there holding a gun in each hand.

Only then did he feel twinges of pain on his right shoulder and his left leg. He felt warm blood roll down those body parts and seep into his shirt. Bullet grazes, both of them. He had been lucky enough, not to have died. Strangely, he didn't seem to be much pain. He just felt numb. Again he glanced at the bodies of the dead men, noticing their glazed eyes, open in surprise. Blood was pooling around their upper bodies, soaking into the floor of the stage.

Suddenly, a yell broke through his morbid musings.

"Alex, behind you!" someone shouted.

He turned around to find James Rotham on his feet and pointing another gun at him. It seemed that James had concealed a second gun in his jackets and was ready to use it. Immediately Alex brought up his dad's gun. Another resounding crash echoed in the auditorium which startled James.

James twitched and fired his gun as did Alex.

Alex expected to feel an excruciating pain in his midriff, not unlike the one he had experienced when he was shot in the chest before. He expected to feel as if he had been punched in the chest, but no such feeling occurred. _Maybe I'm dead_, thought Alex morosely. He looked up to see if James was standing over him triumphantly, but instead, he saw James fall to the ground in a graceful arc, a perfect little hole in the center of his forehead. James had missed, he had survived.

Nine.

Nine people he had killed today.

A sort of muffled sound was coming from the entrance to the auditorium. _Great. More of them, probably, _thought Alex. He whipped around both of his guns raised once again towards the entrance.

"Cub?" asked an incredulous voice. Alex recognized that voice.

To his great surprise and annoyance, he saw a large group of people faced towards him. All of them had assault rifles, pointed at him. M16 had arrived and had brought backup. The SAS. The unit he had trained with was there as well as few others. In the back stood Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt. Too bad they were too late.

"Oh look. The bloody cavalry has finally arrived." Said Alex sardonically into the silence of the auditorium.


	5. Chapter 5: Damage Control

Chapter Five: Damage Control

"Bloody late, you lot are! Never there when you're most needed," ground out Alex. "It's a wonder how you guys even prevent world annihilation these days."

He lowered the guns he realized he was still pointing at the group of SAS and M16. The SAS stiffened as he stuffed his Beretta 92FS back into the waistband of his jeans and dropped the other one on the ground. They thought he was going to shoot. After all, he had just killed nine highly-trained SCORPIA operatives all by himself. Alex noticed this and snorted.

Mrs. Jones looked sheepish and barked to the SAS, "Stand down. He's not a threat. Agent Rider works for us." Reluctantly, the SAS units lowered their weapons, still keeping a wary eye on the teenage spy.

The student body was alight with whispers once more. Agent Rider? Was Alex some kind of spy? And for M16, no less. They remembered his cold and calm exterior as he had approached the stage and how he had took the hit without crying in pain. Not to mention the ease in which Alex killed the enemy. Many shuddered. How many times had Alex killed?

In a more gentle tone, Mrs. Jones asked, "Alex, please, tell us about what happened here."

Alex sighed and replied in a monotone, "At about one o' clock this afternoon, nine SCORPIA operatives stormed Brookland Prep. Target? Me. Leader of this little mission is one James Rotham. Yes, the brother of Julia Rotham who died in the Invisible Sword Operation."

He winced. That mission or rather his brief betrayal had always given him horrible nightmares.

He continued, "The eight other operatives were SCORPIA assassins. Five were advanced and the other three were trainees. How did I know? I recognized the pins on the collars of their shirt. Advanced assassins of SCORPIA always wear the silver scorpian while the trainees wear a gold viper. I recognized one of them. His name is Cain. He was present in one of my cla…missions." Alex had been about to say classes in SCORPIA, but thought it better not spread that information to the general public. Enough had already been exposed today. His classmates would never look at him the same way again.

"All nine SCORPIA members are dead. No survivors. Each, a bullet through their heads, the only place where there was no body amour," said Alex quietly.

"So much for the "leaving Alex Rider alone deal" you set with SCORPIA, huh? I'm pretty sure this attack was a direct violation of that agreement," chuckled Alex weakly.

Mrs. Jones, who by now had unwrapped a peppermint, sucked furiously on it. She replied, "Well you see Alex, just before we left for Brookland, we received a brief message from SCORPIA. They told us they had nothing to do with coordinating this attack. It was James Rotham's personal vendetta project. Technically, he's not even part of SCORPIA."

"Oh, well that just clears everything up," snarked Alex. "After all, it's only a wannabe SCORPIA board member whose dead set on killing me and just happened to borrow a couple of the organization's highly trained assassins. Yes, lets finish our lovely conversation about the finer points of the deal we made together about Alex while he takes care of the mass killing spree that is about to happen."

"I'm sorry Alex," said Mrs. Jones, "I don't know what else you want me to say. We could have gotten here a little bit faster I supp…."

Alex interrupted, "You know what? Forget it. Let's deal with the now. For starters, can I please get some medical care? I can literally feel the blood dripping down by shoulder and leg. It's an unpleasant feeling, one that I've felt way too much."

He was tired of hearing the excuses M16 made. He just wanted everything to be over so he could go home. He eyed the crowds. Alex especially did not want to be caught up in the crowd. They all looked to eager to ask him questions or shied away from him as if he was a hideous monster.

_Well, I suppose I am somewhat the latter_, Alex mused, _I probably look the part anyways. _He knew the right side of his face was a mess, probably black and blue. His lip wasn't feeling so great either.

Mrs. Jones beckoned to one of the SAS to come over and help Alex. The SAS soldier met him half-way as Alex limped down the steps of the stage. He realized he was looking into the eyes of Snake, the medic of K unit. The man kindly led him to the side of the auditorium where he could doctor Alex in a bit of privacy.

"Oh hello. Fancy meeting you here," said Alex, weakly smiling.

"Cub….well..I..is this what M16 trains you to do?" asked Snake, trying to find the right words for his question.

"Killing? No, it's usually just survey jobs for me. However, sometimes things get a little messy and I'm left to deal in any way that will preserve my life. But essentially, yes, this is what I'm supposed to do. To hold off until M16 arrives. Late, as usual," said Alex to Snake.

"I'm sorry," murmured Snake. The poor kid! No child should be put in this position. It just isn't right to leave the weight of the world on such small shoulders. He looked into Alex's jaded brown eyes and saw the scars that his missions had left on him.

"I'm sorry, too," muttered Alex sadly.

Snake asked him to take off his shirt, so he could examine the bullet graze on Alex's shoulder. Painfully, Alex undid the buttons of his shirt and pulled it off. He could feel the cloth taking a bit of skin off with it. He winced.

"Bloody Hell, Cub! What is that?" yelled Snake in astonishment. Snake knew exactly what he was looking at and it shook him to the core. The boy had a bullet wound. Right over his heart. Alex should have been dead from such a wound. The puckered scar on Alex's chest stood in relief against Alex's tanned skin.

Alex traced his hand over the scar nervously. What was Snake going on about? It wasn't like he just got shot there, he'd had that one for awhile now. It doesn't even hurt anymore. Yet, Snake was looking like the sky had just collapsed.

Meanwhile Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt were doing damage control. They were busy explaining to the staff and students about what had happened. A toned down version, of course. They proceeded to make everyone sign the Official Secrets Act. It was for the safety of everyone, they explained.

At Snake's exclamation, half the heads turned around to see what the problem was. Mrs. Jones, who knew what Snake was furious at, looked guilty. Immediately, she tried to recaptured the crowd's attention.

"Yell a bit louder please. I don't think the whole auditorium heard you yet," said Alex sarcastically. Luckily, none of them saw his chest.

However, the rest of K unit and the other SAS soldiers wandered over, curious to see what had sent Snake (who was usually a calm and collected man) into such a state of upset.

**AN: Sooooo……My first AR fanfic with five chapters already and it only took me three days to write! What do you guys think? Anyways, let me address some questions/comments some of you might have. **

**Here goes. First, I know there was the cliché SCORPIA attacks school scenario, but I decided to expand on that and twist it a bit. Hope that didn't scare you guys off the story. And yes, I know, some of you are wary of Alex owning a gun, but come on; it's about time that he took a stand for himself and actively try to defend himself. He can't live his whole spy career using gadgets. Then, the biggie. Killing all those operatives was necessary, if a bit out of character. However I wanted to present a more darker/cynical Alex, one that would portray his emotional turmoil that all his missions had caused, especially at this young age. Anyways, I think those were the biggies. Hopefully, you guys still enjoyed the story.**

**Now, for the next couple of chapters, I'm taking suggestions. I was hoping to somehow work Yassen back into the story, alive, of course, but not really sure where to have him come in. And maybe something in Breacon Beacons, too? I'm not really sure. Soo, please give me any ideas you think are good. I read each and every one of your reviews. You do not know how much I appreciate the reviews. They literally spur me on to write the next chapter. My goal is to get at least 100 reviews by the time I finish the story. *crosses fingers***

**Anyways, keep reading and reviewing! I love to hear from you guys!**

**xoxo }} xxfolkvir**


	6. Chapter 6: Curiosity

Chapter Six: Curiosity

Alex sighed. It was one of those deep, whole body heaving kind of sigh. It came from a deep well of annoyance, one that was already spilling over. _Oh great, just bloody amazing! They were bound to goggle at him as if he was some exotic creature in a cage,_ thought Alex as he watched the soldiers wander over to where he was.

_Yes, welcome the endangered species exhibition. This is one Alex Rider. This dangerous creature belongs to the M16 zoo. Please do not touch or provoke. Extremely lethal and has killed before. Ask questions at your own risk. Thank you and have a wonderful day, _Alex thought sarcastically, imagining what his plaque would say. His head throbbed with pain both from his previous head punch and anticipating the SAS reactions.

The nearest soldier was already a few paces away from Alex and Snake. As luck would have it, it was the one and only Wolf. Wolf was followed closely by the rest of K unit: Eagle and Fox (or Ben as Alex now knew). The rest were not far behind. They seemed a bit wary approaching the bleeding boy. However K unit was not as shy, after all Cub had been part of their team. They approached him swiftly and then came to stuttering halt.

There was a sharp intake of breath. Eyes bulged. Alex looked through lidded eyes at the soldiers. Their faces held varied degrees of shock.

Alex growled, "What do you want?" He knew full well what they wanted to know. He just wanted to watch them squirm. There was a moment of silence.

"Well, speak up! I haven't got all day. Besides, I'm still bleeding. Snake, could you hurry up and put on the gauze?" said Alex waspishly. Snake, who had momentarily been frozen in shock, sprang into action. Hurriedly, he took out the white rolls of gauze and began cleaning the wound.

"Er….Cub…" stuttered Wolf, as his eyes traced over the numerous scars on Alex's body and pausing at the bullet wound scar, "What the hell happened to you?" The last bit was said in a rush. Wolf winced, ready for an explosion from the annoyed looking Alex. He hadn't exactly said that tactfully.

"What hasn't happened to me," Alex muttered bitterly. "You see, this little lovely scar was a souvenir from a previous mission. This is called a bullet wound, see the ragged edges an...."

"Yes, I know what it is," said Wolf impatiently. "What I meant was who shot you?"

"Sniper. A parting gift from SCORPIA. Want to know what the ironic thing is? I received it right outside Royal & General. Shot me right in the chest as I was stepping down from the sidewalk. If I hadn't been this young or stepped off that curb, I probably would have been dead by now. It missed my heart by inches and exited under my right arm. Aren't I lucky," answered Alex sardonically.

He winced as Snake pressed a little too deeply on his bullet grazes. Usually Alex wouldn't have volunteered so much information for himself, but he knew the SAS would want some answers. He just wanted to get it over with.

"But..but…your just a child!" Wolf spluttered. "That's sick. I can't believe SCORPIA. In fact, I can't believe M16 allowed you get tangled up in this."

Many of the soldiers nodded in agreement. They were all disgusted by the fact that this had been done to a child so young. Eagle was white in the face. Fox, who had been on the last mission with Alex, didn't take it as hard as the others. He knew the dangers of spy work and the unscrupulousness of criminal organizations. However, he never knew the specifics about what had happened to Cub. It was all hush-hush in M16 headquarters.

Only clearance two or above were allowed to access the information. The only level two or above clearance members were Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt.

"Has anyone told you life isn't fair?" said Alex. "These are the dangers of what I do. I deal. I survive."

"Well, at least did you get a rest period or physical therapy?" asked Fox.

Wolf was still speechless with anger at his superiors. True, he had never liked kids, but he felt slightly protective over Cub. Cub had been part of his team and he hated having his teammates injured.

"What's that?" joked Alex. "To answer your question, not really. I was in the hospital for surgery and stayed in one of their rooms for a week to recover. I started PT, but never got to finish it. My next mission…err..started a bit early you could say."

"You weren't even out of the hospital yet?" asked Eagle incredously.

"Umm..well, there was an emergency," Said Alex vaguely.

"Wait, was that you in the photograph where those buildings, owned by the dead billion Drevin, were burning? I saw it in a newspaper a few months ago. There was a person walking along the wire of the banner between the two buildings. Couldn't really see his face though…"asked a soldier Alex didn't know.

"Err…probably?" said Alex. By now he was getting tired of this endless barrage of questions. God, he really wanted go home and get some rest. It was a harrowing day for him. _Just wait until Jack hears about this. Jack!, _thought Alex,_ aaghh what was he going to tell Jack?_

He could imagine the situation already.

"_Hey Alex, how was your day?" Jack would ask._

_"Oh not too bad. You know, just the usual. SCORPIA, guns, M16, SAS……" Alex would say._

_Silence. Crash (a pot would fly through the air and nearly break the window)._

_Jack would probably start ranting, "What!? Not again, those….." _

Alex sighed again. This was not going to go well.

Snake, who had been listening in silence, had finally finished bandaging Alex. He handed Alex a bottle of pills for the pain. Alex accepted them without a word.

"What about that other article…" started some other soldier. Alex glared at him. This questioning was going to stop now.

"Hey, as interesting as this may seem to you, I really don't enjoy telling you my life's story to you guys. I've just killed nine people, I'm in pain, and I just want to go home. Would you guys just bloody leave me alone!" Alex gritted out.

He was stunned at the reaction he got. Immediately all of them shut up and some even took a step backward. If he hadn't been so worn out, he would have thought it a funny sight that the whole group of SAS responded that quickly to his command.

_That was better, _thought Alex as he moved past the SAS and towards the heads of M16.

Luckily M16 had finished their speech to the school awhile ago and were now waiting for him at the ruined auditorium entrance. The school had given its students and teachers the rest of the day off.

Mrs. Jones approached Alex and said, "Alex, you did a magnificent job here today protecting your school. I realize you made a hard choice and I'm very sorry we didn't arrive earlier. However, Mr. Blunt and I would like to speak to you after school tomorrow, if that's possible. We would like to discuss this incident and determine our future actions. Is this possible?"

Alex grumbled, "Fine. I'll come after school."

Alex absolutely did not want to face tomorrow yet. Fortunately, he had only one more day of school before spring break. He knew he was going to be bombarded with questions by students and teachers alike, not to mention the close questioning at M16 headquarters later. He hadn't even truly come to terms with what happened today yet.

"Great. We have a vehicle waiting outside to take you home, Alex. The same one will pick you up tomorrow." Said Mrs. Jones.

Alex as he walked out the main doors to Brookland. Indeed, a sleek black car waited for him outside. He slid into the dark interior of the car. The driver said nothing as he started driving.

For a few minutes Alex watched scenery flash by, his mind curiously blank. Today's events had caused something to freeze over in his body. Numb and hollow.

Alex leaned back on the cool leather seats and closed his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7: Realization

Chapter Seven: Realization

"We're here, Mr. Rider," said the driver.

Stiffly, Alex climbed out of the backseat. He cringed as he felt some of his sensitive wounds chafe against the gauze. He gritted his teeth and managed to get out without too much trouble. He gave the driver a quick nod of thanks and proceeded to walk up his driveway. Alex heard the car peel out of his driveway.

He stood on his front porch and started to search for the house key. After a few moments of intense searching, he found them at the bottom of his book bag. He snatched them up and proceeded to insert them into the doorknob. He was eager to get inside.

His key never made it to the door. The door was flung wide open and bright yellow light flooded the porch. He saw a brief view of the well-lit hallway before the breath was knocked out of him. He let out a little oomph.

His vision was obscured by long tangles of red hair and he was being hugged to death by one very agitated Jack.

"Alex!?" she half screamed, "I was so worried! I saw on the news just now that your school was attacked! Are you okay, did you get hurt? What happened?" She said all this in one breathe giving no pause for Alex to respond.

"Mmmphf….can't breathe….hug….hard.." said Alex with his face muffled in Jack's neck.

"Oh sorry..." said Jack sheepishly. She drew back to look at him and blanched. The bright hallway light exposed every inch of Alex's battered body. He truly did look a sight. His torn bloody shirt hung off of him loosely and his jeans weren't in much of a better state. His face looked even worse. Half of it was mottled with black and blue bruises. His lip looked busted and painful. Alex tried a grimacing smile.

"Oh Alex!" gasped Jack with tears in her eyes. She hated seeing him like this, all beaten and with the horrors of the world reflected in his eyes. It made her heart ache and she wished she could protect Alex from all of this. Her hands fluttered nervously around Alex, not sure of what to do.

Then she gently pulled Alex inside and said, "Come on, dinner is getting cold. I made your favorite. We'll talk about this after you eat."

"Thanks," murmured Alex quietly and followed Jack to the kitchen.

Both Alex and Jack ate in silence. The only sound that could be heard was the scraping of utensils on dishes. Both were done fairly quickly.

"They came today. SCORPIA, or rather a branch of it at least," said Alex when he noticed that both of them had finished eating. Jack went white in the face and closed her eyes. She gripped her napkin in a death grip and her hands shook slightly.

"I thought MI6 took care of that already," whispered Jack. "You were suppose to be safe now."

Alex smiled wryly, "I thought so too. However, SCORPIA said it wasn't their fault since the lead attacker wasn't actually a SCORPIA member. Remember Julia Rotham?"

"Leader of SCORPIA who is now dead?" asked Jack. "What about her?"

"Her brother came for revenge today. Brought eight other 'associates' with him, otherwise known as SCORPIA assassins," answered Alex. "He wanted me, obviously, and he was going to kill one of my classmates each minute I delayed coming to him."

Alex shuddered as he remembered how James had ordered one of his assassins to prepare to shoot Tom, his best friend.

Jack was silent, so Alex continued, "I came to him. Let him hit me around a bit. After he turned to the crowd, I kicked him in the temple. Knocked him unconscious. Then I-I….."

Suddenly everything came crashing down on him. _Oh God. What had he done?, _Alex mentally screamed at himself._ He. Had. Shot. Nine. People._ _Pulled his finger and ended their lives just like that. He had never done this before. Outright killing with a bullet. He was no better than them, _he thought morosely. A soft cry of anguish sprang from his throat.

Jack, who had been watching the play of emotions on Alex's face, could have guessed what happened next. Immediately she ran over to him and drew him into a motherly hug. The floodgates broke. Silent tears streamed down his face, but no other sound escaped him.

In a broken whisper Alex recounted, "I killed them. All nine of them."

He said no more. He couldn't bear to. _What does Jack think of me now? I'm mass murderer,_ cried Alex in his mind.

Jack began rubbing soothing circles on his back and drew him even closer to her.

She put her cheek against his head and said, "It's okay. Just let it all out. I know you didn't want to kill those men, but you told me yourself they were going to kill your classmates. You did a brave thing Alex. You made a hard decision that would no doubt tear you apart later. You saved your school. I am proud, Alex. Not ashamed or scared of you."

Alex clung to Jack for dear life. Her words comforted him and erased a bit of the self-hate in him. Slowly Alex withdrew from Jack. He reached back and took out his Beretta 92FS. He laid it on the table.

"This saved my life today", he murmured. "I found it in the attic; it used to belong to Dad."

Jack eyed the weapon. On one hand she was grateful that Alex used it to defend himself, but on the other hand, she hated the gun. The gun had turned Alex into such a terrible state. She picked it up, looked at it, and placed it back in Alex's hand.

"I want you to keep this with you at all times," said Jack seriously. "This saved your life today, and you might need it in the future. I want you to be safe." She grimaced as she said this and hoped Alex wouldn't need this in the near future.

Alex nodded and stuffed it in his jeans. Jack wiped his face free from tears tenderly. Her poor boy! She saw his wounds covered in gauze, but she didn't say anything. Alex wouldn't want to talk about that now.

"Why don't you go and take a shower? Then go to bed. Call me if you need anything," said Jack to Alex.

Alex agreed and trudged upstairs to clean himself up. He stripped quickly and discarded the bloody torn up clothes on the ground. Carefully, he put his gun on the bathroom counter. Turning the dial to the red, he stepped into the stream of hot water. The water felt good cascading down his body after all that had happened. He got some soap and scrubbed vigirously at his body. Alex tried so hard to scrub away all the disgust he felt. His skin was being scrubbed raw, but he couldn't seem to stop. He sighed and leaned his forhead against the wall. Finally when the hot water was running out, he turned the shower off.

He wrapped a towel around himself and looked in the mirror. He looked a mess. His skin had turned an unsightly red from all the scrubbing he had done in the shower. His face and wounds didn't look much better. Alex gingerly touched his lip and winced. It was still tender.

Turning away from the mirror, he strode down the hall and into his room. The familiarity of his room comforted him. He fell into bed and tucked the covers around himself. Strangely, his crying jag with Jack made him feel better. He used to bottle everyting up inside as to not show weakness, but this attack was one too many. This time his tears cleansed him. _I can deal with this,_ thought Alex. _I am a survivor. I had to do it. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, _he reasoned.

He was knackered and would need all his strength tomorrow to face school and MI6. Alex closed his eyes and fell deeply asleep.

Meanwhile Jack sat on the bed in the room across the hall. Her head was in her hands. _God, I HATE MI6 for doing this to Alex. They brought him into a world that no teenager should experience at this age. Her poor Alex had gone through so much. It's miracle he hasn't gone insane by now. I could feel the guilt roll off of him in waves. I'll be here if he needs me. Always, _thought Jack firmly.

Still full of anger at MI6 and other various people who had harmed her Alex, she longed to throw something against the wall, but refrained. She didn't want to wake Alex up. He needed the sleep. She sighed.

Jack had never been so glad that she made the choice of living in the Rider household.

**AN: Yay! Another author's note. :D Anyways I hope Chapter Seven was okay. I guess some of you might think that Alex got a little too emotional. Then again, the real series never actually showed how Alex dealed with these missions, so I thought maybe this mission would push him over the edge. Thus, making him break down for once and deal with his emotions. I hope it wasn't too OOC. It took me quite a while to find out how I wanted to word the reactions. I didn't want to be too sappy, you see or was I? Well, you tell me. **

**Anyways, I've started writing the eighth chapter, so that might be up shortly, even tonight. I find that my writing and your reviews are directly proportional. The more you review, the faster I write and get chapters up. Again, I love the ideas you guys suggested and the wonderful advice that you guys gave me. Don't worry, more Yassen and Breacon Beacons soon. Right, so I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter. Remember REVIEW! :D :D I want to know what you guys think.**

**xoxo }} folkvir**

**P.S. I write while listening to music. Wrote this little chappie while listening to Crush by David Archuleta. Suggest some good songs to me, ya?**


	8. Chapter 8: Confrontations

Chapter Eight: Confrontations

_Alex stood in the middle of a small damp room. It was seemed eerily familiar to him. A small drop of water landed on his face. He looked up and saw the damp ceiling rafters dripping water. Where was he? He looked around him carefully, searching for a way out. Immediately he saw a door. The handle and hinges were rusty. No problem, he could probably kick the door open, it looked weak enough. Without further ado he strode to the door. _

_For such a small room, the door sure seemed far away. No matter how fast he walked or even ran to the door, he never seemed to get there. Alex panicked. He was trapped in this god-forsaken room and he couldn't get out. The only other way out he could see was a small window near the ceiling. He couldn't reach that one either since the walls were slippery from years of mold and water. _

_"Alex, Alex…..trying to escape are you?" asked a familiar accented voice. _

_Fearfully, Alex turned around and came face to face with Grief. Grief's pale colorless face grinned sadistically at him. _

_Alex exclaimed,"But..but…you're dead!"_

_The room rang with high cruel laughter. Dr. Grief brandished a scapel in Alex's face._

_"It was you who killed me. I never got to even dissect you yet," leered Grief, his face twisting demonically. "No worries, we can start again."_

_By now Alex had noticed that Grief and he weren't the only ones in the room. To his horror he realized that there was a group of people watching him. Ones that had already died. Ones that had died by his hands directly and indirectly. He recognized many faces. Nadia Vole's grinning face peered at him, water still drippind down her body. General Sarov stood off to the side and glared at him. The grotesque face of Conrad stared at him making Alex shudder. Alex's eyes moved on and saw Damian Cray who he had vaporized. Julia Rotham and Nile stood behind Cray. Both had been killed by the hot air balloon. Nile fingered his samuri sword. Then his eyes landed on the colorful head of Kasper. The knife was still sticking out the back of his head. Alex fought the urge to hurl. _

_"See what you have done, Alex?" said Grief. "You killed all these people and probably many more inadvertanly. You are a MUDERER!"_

_The group closed in on Alex and chanted, "Murderer, MURDERER, MURDERER!"_

Alex sat up in bed, panting with sweat running off his forehead. He felt weak and sick. Throwing off the covers, he hurriedly made his way into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and he splashed his face with cold water. He leaned on the countertop and looked at himself. He was pasty white and there was sunken shadows beneath his eyes. Haunted, that's what he looked like. He could still hear those harsh chants in his head from his terrible nightmare.

He glanced at his watch. It was only five o' clock in the morning. He still had and hour and a half before he had to get to school. He didn't want to go back to sleep. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the gleaming metal of his gun that was still on the countertop where he had left it last night. He picked it up and shuddered at the cold feel of metal against his skin.

_I've got to reload it_, thought Alex detachedly. Slowly he climbed into the attic, very aware of his still hurting wound on his leg. He found the box containing the bullets and proceeded to stuff the cartridges in. He sat there with a fullly loaded gun on his lap. After a few moments of just blankly staring at the weapon, he got up and went out of the attic. It was time to get ready for the school day.

Alaex went into his room and searched for some clean clothes. He slipped on a nice polo shirt and some khakis. The gun was tucked back into the waist of of pants.

From the downstairs kitchen, Jack called, "Alex! Breakfast is ready!"

Alex trudged down the stairs and sat at the kitchen table. Jack had made him toast and scrambled eggs this morning. Quietly he tucked in as Jack watched from afar.

"How are you feeling today?" asked Jack from the stove.

"Better. Listen, I've got to go to headquarters after school today. They want to speak to me about something," Alex told Jack. He saw her hands breifly clench the handle of the pan. He knew she didn't want him going.

"Alright," said Jack carefully, "Just be safe. I don't want to lose you."

He nodded and brought his dishes to the sink. He slung his book bag over his shoulder and grabbed his keys from the dish near the door.

"See you later, Jack," called Alex as he walked out the front door.

He was going to ride his bike to school today, but a look at his driveway told him that this wasn't happening. The same car that had picked him up yesterday was parked in his driveway. It looked like MI6 weren't going to take any chances on his safety. _About time,_ he thought wryly.

The driver said nothing as Alex got in. Again, the drive was mercifully silent. The MI6 driver did not try to engage Alex in conversation, and for this Alex was grateful. It gave him time to collect his thoughts and prepare for the reactions of his classmates.

A few minutes later, Alex arrived at Brookland. Students froze as the black car parked in front of the school and as Alex got out. Whispers traveled like wildfire in the school parking lot. Students parted before Alex as he made his way to the front entrance. Alex glanced around him and saw many fearful gazes of the students. Even the upperclassman seemed cowed by Alex's prescence. None of them dared to meet his eyes. _Just perfect_, thought Alex sarcastically._ He had maanged to shed the druggie rumours, but a whole new set followed him. A worse trade off. They were now scared of him._

"Alex! Wait up!," a voiced called. Alex turned around and saw Tom sprint towards him. He stopped to wait for Tom. Tom came bounding up to him, heedless of the stares around him.

Tom said quietly to Alex, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Alex. He really didn't want to talk about this out in the open with so many eager ears listening in.

Tom smiled at Alex, catching on that Alex was reluctant to discuss his feelings.

"Did you know that our school was on the news last night?" Tom piped up. "They reported that our school was attacked by a terrorist organization and that the 'government' took care of it. Strangely they didn't mention anything about you. I mean, you were the one who saved the school."

Alex chuckled. He was glad that Tom was still his friend.

"I reckon MI6 censored the news. Couldn't let it get out that they arrived too late to actually stop the attack," replied Alex.

Tom nodded and playfully punched Alex's shoulder. Both made their way into the school and headed for their first period class.

Strangely his morning passed without any major incidents. He did find it slightly humorous that everyone scrambled out of his path in the hallway, giving him a wide berth. Tom rolled his eyes at this, he knew that Alex wouldn't do anything bad.

The rest of the school, however, were under the impression that Alex would burst into a killing spree any moment. The teachers rarely met his eyes, perferring to pretend he wasn't there. They were either uncomfortable around Alex or downright scared.

Only a few students were intrigued with Alex's spy status and ventured to ask him some questions, to which all of them he replied with a curt "classified". Alex huffed in annoyance. Everyone either wanted his life's story or ran away from him like he had some fearsome disfigurement. Tom stuck loyally by his side, glaring at everyone who gave Alex trouble. Alex's patience was wearing thin.

It was in the afternoon that something happened. The bell had just rang signifying that school was out. Everyone rushed into the hallways eager to get started on their spring break. Brian, who had never been the brightest star in the sky, approached Alex and Tom with his group of thugs. He wanted to get even with Alex, who had insulted him yesterday. The thugs were all built similarily, all muscle and no brains. Since Brian was the biggest and stupidest of them all, he was the leader.

Brian swaggered up to Alex and shoved him in the shoulder. Alex gave a hiss of pain. You see, Brian had shoved Alex where his bullet graze was. He clenched his jaw and rode the wave of pain. He turned around slowly and leveled Brian a death glare.

The crowd in the hallways froze. Everybody stopped to watch events unfold. The general thought that ran through many minds was, "Was Brian insane?" The crowd held their breath.

Brian got right into Alex's face and spat, "Think you're so cool, Rider? Shooting all those people? Well, I know what you are. You're a bloody mass murderer. You should be put in ja…." He never got to finish his rant.

Alex's fine thread of patience had snapped. With a snarl he pushed Brian up against the hallway wall. Everyone flinched at Alex's reaction, backing away slightly.

Alex leaned up and whispered menacingly in Brian's ear, "You know _nothing_ about me you pathetic piece of lard. I have seen and done things you couldn't imagine while you sit on your couch at home safe. Yes, I have bloodied my hands, so that you can live. So don't tell me what I am. You are nothing but a waste of my time."

As Alex hissed this in his ear, Brian turned a pasty white and whimpered. His fellow thugs stood around stupidly, not knowning why their leader whimpered. He contemplated punching Brian for good measure.

Then He felt a slight tugging on his shirt and turned his head around without letting Brian go. It was Tom.

"Alex, don't. He's not worth it," said Tom quietly. There was silence in the hallway as Alex reigned his anger in. Tom was right, Brian wasn't worth his time. Besides Brian alreadly looked like he was going to loose his bowels or faint any moment.

"You're right," Alex growled. He tore his hands away from Brian. The crowd let out its breath. Some people were actually disappointed that there wasn't going to be a fight. They wanted to see Alex in action.

Brian slumped to the ground now that Alex had removed his hands. The crowd began dispersing as Tom dragged Alex away. Slowly they walked to the front entrance.

"Thanks," murmured Alex. He was grateful to Tom for stopping him before he did something that he would regret.

Tom replied, "Don't worry about it. Listen, do you want to come over today? We could kick the football around a bit or just talk." He looked at Alex with a hopeful face.

Alex internally groaned. He so wanted to go over to Tom's house, but of course he couldn't.

"Agh…I can't, Tom. I'm really sorry. I want to, but _they _want to see me today," said Alex regretfully.

Tom looked a bit crestfallen, but replied, "It's cool. We'll hang out some other time then. Good luck with them."

Alex gave Tom a grateful smile and headed for the black car that was idling beside the curb. He nodded at the driver and got in. Without a word, the driver drove out of Brookland and merged into traffic to get to Royal & General Bank. A short while later, the car arrived at its destination.

He climbed out and entered Royal & General Bank. Quickly he strode to the elevator. He saw the receptionist glance at him and quickly avert her eyes when she saw Alex looking at her. _Did she know what happened yesterday? _Alex thought to himself as he rode the elevator up to the 14th floor.

The elevator jarred to a stop and he stepped out. He noticed that the hallways were strangely empty as he strode through them. The few people who were up and about saw him, stopped to stare at him or walked away quickly. _Well, that's different, _thought Alex. _News certainly travels fast around here._ Ignoring these various reactions, he headed towards the meeting room once again.

He took a deep breath and turned the door handle.

**AN: And there you have it! Slightly longer chapter than I usually write, but hey I had a lot to say in this one. :D Right, so authors notes from me will be relatively shorter from now on since I might do one at the end of each chapter (except for this one). That one I won't bore you with a super long one every few chappies. **

**Anways I've just discovered the traffic option on my profile. Yes, I know, I'm a relatively new author here. I'm still feeling my way around, but this traffic thing is soo exciting! I got a measely 37 hits on 5/18, but then a banging 433 on 5/19, then 429 on 5/20, 389 on 5/21, then a whopping 530 on 5/22. I wonder what I will get to day?**

**Then I saw the country stats. I have readers from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, New Zealand, Indonesia, Ireland, Russia, Netherlands, Denmark, Kuwait, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Brazil, Peru, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Bermuda, India, Austria, Belgium, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Phillipines, and South Africa.**** This is so cool! *childish squeal***

**Okay enough my antics. XD So chapter nine is almost done. I just have to finish up an outtake and then it will be up. Hopefully, I will reach at least 65-70 reviews by then? Or am I hoping to much. I would really like to hear from more people, espicially those who follow my story, but have never reviewed. Come on, I want to know what you think. It can be really short, if you like. Anything nice or constructive criticism will be like a kick in the rear for me to write faster. :D There will be much more action to come.**

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo }} folkvir**


	9. Chapter 9: It

Chapter Nine: It

"Alex," greeted Mrs. Jones. Mr. Blunt nodded in greeting.

"Mrs. Jones, Mr. Blunt," said Alex cordially. His fingers tugged at the collar of his shirt. He was feeling distinctively nervous for some reason.

Alex pulled out a chair and sat down and dropped his bookbag on the ground. He watched as Mrs. Jones yet another another peppermint. Did she have a stash of peppermints somewhere? Alex wouldn't put it past her. She was constantly sucking one. Mr. Blunt steepled his fingers and looked sterns, but then again when did ever look not stern? After a moments pause where everyone looked at everyone else, Mrs. Jones spoke up.

"I feel like we do not have to recount the events of yesterday. We found a video recording of the event. It seems that your school had installed cameras in all rooms after that incident with Grief's clone that burned down the science wing. We watched it and found it sufficient enough to answer our queries," said Mrs. Jones kindly. She guessed correctly that Alex was tired of recounting the story to various people.

Alex nodded in relief. He was glad that he didn't have to retell the story again.

Mrs. Jones continued, "However, there are some other important matters we must discuss. I realize that you are on spring break right now?"

She looked at Alex for confirmation. He reluctantly nodded. He had a feeling that they were going to make him do something he would dislike. They always grabbed any oppurtuntie they could to use him.

At this point, Mr. Blunt spoke up. Alex felt a stone drop in his stomach. Mr. Blunt rarely spoke unless it was a dire emergency. He always left those matters to Mrs. Jones.

"We believe your safety has been compromised," said Mr. Blunt gravely.

Alex mentally snorted at this. _Thank you Captain Obvious, _thought Alex snidely, _I totally didn't notice how certain people wanted to kill me yesterday._

Mr. Blunt continued, "Therefore we would like you to go back to Breacon Beacons. It is a fortified location with SAS soldiers who can protect you around the clock. Besides you can also brush up on your training there as well."

There was a moment of breif silence. You could almost cut the tension with a knife.

"You what?!" exclaimed Alex increduously. Spend his entire holiday training and what not? Were they insane? When he finally could relax during the holidays like a normal schoolboy, they were going to send him back. Alex fought the urge to groan out loud. Then Alex remembered something.

"What about Jack then? Where is her protection? If they knew about Tom, I'm pretty sure Jack would be a target too," asked Alex. "I really don't think you will put her in Breacon Beacons with me."

"We will take care of Mrs. Starbright. While you are away, we will have agents guarding your residence around the clock. Rest assured, Mrs. Starbright will be fine," answered Mr. Blunt confidently.

Alex pondered Mr. Blunt's words carefully. It seemed that they won't take no for an answer. He sighed to himself. _Well, I suppose I could do with a bit of training, _thought Alex wearily. He hadn't done any physical training after getting shot since he barely had any time between missions.

_Just think of it as a camp, _thought Alex sarcastically, _a camp with buff oversized kids weilding all sorts of weapons. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Oh the fun he was going to have._

Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones waited in silence for Alex's answer. They already had an inkling as to what it was going to be.

"Fine, I'll go," said Alex resignedly. They were probably going to make him go anyways is he said no. He was lucky it wasn't a mission they were sending him on.

Mr. Blunt smiled, or at least tried too. It was more of a tightening of the lips. He wasn't a man who exactly smiled commonly.

"Perfect, I have arranged for K unit to pick you up at your house. Eight o' clock in the morning. Pack enough for a week and a half's trip," said Mr. Blunt. "We have already notified the Seargant about your coming."

Alex asked, "And the other SAS units?"

"They have been told," answered Mr. Blunt evasively.

"Well then, if we are finished here, I would like to go home befo………," started Alex.

The door to the meeting room swung open and a dishevled man came hurrying in. _What was with people and dramatic entrances, _thought Alex. He thought back to the various door flinging open instances yesterday.

Upon seeing Alex, the man blanched. It was a humorous sight. The man with his glasses askew stood gaping at the odd picture of the two heads of MI6 meeting with a teenage boy. He tugged at his tie nervously, mouth dry.

"What is it Burns?" asked Mr. Blunt. He cast a dissaproving glare at the man.

"Err…right. You told me to notify you immediately if _it_ occurred. I ran up here as soon as _it _did," said Burns vaguely.

He glanced at Alex and said, "Or I could come back later, sir?"

Alex rolled his eyes. Apparently something was going on that was obviously not fit for his ears.

"No, I'm coming right now," answered Mr. Blunt in an urgent tone. He, too, glanced at Alex before saying, " Sorry Alex, there's an emergency. I have got to go. Good day."

Without another word, Mr. Blunt hurried out of the office following Burns.

"Well, I suppose it's time for me to go, eh?" said Alex as he picked up his book bag.

"Yes, I think we are done here," said Mrs. Jones distractedly. She obviously was thinking about what had caused Mr. Blunt to hurry out so quickly. _It must be something big, _mused Alex. He had never seen Mr. Blunt look so nervous.

"Excuse me Alex, I have some things to attend to," said Mrs. Jones as she too, got up and headed for the door. She looked distinctively uncomfortable and cast Alex an undecipherable look.

"Alright, don't let me keep you," anwered Alex. Both gathered their respective belongings and headed out the door. Alex walked towards the elevator and glanced back. He saw Mrs. Jones hurrying in the direction that Mr. Blunt had went.

Frowning, Alex pressed the button for ground floor.


	10. Outtake One: Awake

Outtake One: Awake

_Several floors below the meeting room, something important was happening. Unknown to many people, Royal & General had a fully decked out medical facility in its basement. Several men in white lab coast milled around in nervous energy._

_Many of these men were grouped around a single bed surrounded by white curtains. A slender man was lying in the middle of the bed with his eyes closed. He looked almost dead, but the telltale bleeping of a nearby heart monitor showed he was still alive. The man had close-cropped blond hair and almost feminine lashes. His pale face was expressionless for almost year now. The doctors performed various tests but his dancer-like body remained absolutely still. Nothing was going to wake him. This man was in a coma. _

_A few months ago, MI6 had salvaged this man from an Air Force One plane. The guy was dying and the doctors barely managed to stablize the man's heart. Now the man laid in bed, heart beating strongly. Curiously, the man's wrists and ankles were handcuffed to the railings of the bed. An unusual act since who expected a coma-ridden person to need tying down?_

_In truth, this man didn't even exist. MI6 had it made it so. This was a top secret project and they could not afford to leak anything out. _

_A man in a white lab coat scanned the chart readings next to the bed._

_"Same as ever," he said. He wondered why MI6 were investing copious amounts of money into this project. If it were up to him, he would have just pulled the plug. He looked disdainfully down at the man lying in the bed._

_Then a curious sound filled the room. The heart monitor had sped up. Men came running to the bed in all directions. They watched in shock as the blond man's eyelashes fluttered as if waking from a dream. The chiseled lips opened voluntarily for the first time in months gasping for air. A man in horn-rimmed glasses hurridly ran from the room to notify his superior. _

_Eyes snapped open. The men in lab coats drew a collected breath as they saw cold blue eyes staring at them. These eyes were alert and already scanning for escape routes. It was as if the man had fallen asleep and just woke up. The man said nothing. _

_A sound of metal clanking on metal made the men flinch. The man in the bed had pulled on a handcuffed wrist. The standing men looked at each other nervously now that their patient had awoken. _

_The door opened and Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones hurried in followed by Burns. They strode over to the bed and looked down. _

_"Ah yes, finally," said Mr. Blunt. The man in the bed glared at him._

_Mr. Blunt called for Smithers. A few minutes later, Smithers came waddling in with a grin on his face._

_"Mr. Blunt! You're in luck. I have just finished it today," said Smithers jovially. _

_He reached into his pocket and took out a metal bracelet. It was a rather thin piece of titanium and was shaped like a allergy bracelet. Its innocent shape belied its more sinister functions. Hidden inside the titanium bracelet was a small vial of sedative. It was enough to knock a full-grown man unconsious in a number of seconds. With a press of a button on a certain device, the bracelet would inject the sedative directly into the body of the man who will wear the bracelet. There was a special clasp on the bracelet so that the victim could not take it off unless the owner of the device pressed another button. It was futile to resist the bracelet. It was one of Smithers better inventions._

_"Should I put it on him, then?" asked Smithers in a serious voice. Mr. Blunt gave a brief nod._

_Without further ado, Smithers leaned down to clasp the bracelet around the man's wrist. The man tried to resist, but the months of idleness in the bed had weakened his muscles. He bracelet fit snugly around the wrist. The man's glaring intensified. Smithers haned Mr. Blunt the device._

_"This one is for the lock and that one is for the sedative," said Smithers while showing Blunt how to work the device._

_Mr. Blunt looked dispassionately down at the man and pressed the sedative button. The effect was instantaneous. Within seconds, the man's eyes fluttered shut and again looked asleep. Mr. Blunt smiled._

_Everything was going to change now. Yassen Gregorovich had awoken. He was back in the game. _

**AN: Bam! There you have it. You guys got a bonus today! A new chapter as well as an outtake. For all those Yassen lovers out there, he's back! Couldn't resist! So? So? What do you think? I know I'm excited for the upcoming chappies! Oh and more songs please! I downloaded all of your suggestions. They are keeping me very happy!**

**Oh and I forgot to tell you guys, I came out with a new story Temptation. Go check it out! I shall be working on that one on and off since I'll be focusing mainly on this one. However if you ever find yourself anxious while waiting for the next chapter of this story, go ahead and read the other one. Right, so on with the next chapter. Thanks again for all those wonderful reviews. Keep it up! Remember: more reviews = more chapters!**

**xoxo }} folkvir**

_**P.S.**__** Oh and a big thanks and shout out to **__**Wolfmonster who inspired this little outtake.**_


	11. Chapter 10: Road Trip

Chapter 10: Road Trip

It was late in the afternoon when the driver dropped Alex off at his house. The meeting had taken longer than he had expected.

He dropped his keys into the metal basin near the door and called out, "Jack! I'm home!"

"I'm in the kitchen," she called back.

Alex made his way slowly to the kitchen pondering how he would tell Jack that he wouldn't be spending holidays at home, not that he did that very much this year anyways.

"So, what did they want today? I hope to God that they aren't sending you on another mission," said Jack whiling chopping up some peppers for tonight's dinner. She paused in the middle of chopping when she didn't hear an answer from Alex.

"Alex? Please do not tell me they did," continued Jack in an anxious tone. She glanced up from her chopping to look at Alex.

Alex hurriedly said, "Umm…no, but I still won't be home for spring break. They..err…well, they're sending me to Breacon Beacons again." He said all that in one breath and waited for Jack's reaction.

Jack sighed and laid down the knife.

"Breacon Beacons?" she asked slowly as if the word itself was dangerous.

"Yes, the training camp," replied Alex cautiously. He was still waiting for a resounding no from an angry Jack.

For a while, no words were exchanged as Jack mulled this over. She was worried about Alex, worried about his mental and physical well-being. She had wanted to take Alex to the States to visit her parents. Let him be a normal boy for once and take him away from the clutches of MI6. Looks like this wasn't going to happen. Then again, what did she expect? That MI6 would let Alex go with a thank you note? Improbable.

She replied, "Oh, I was going to take you to see my parents this week in the States. Well, I suppose you will be safe at Breacon Beacons too. I just wish the government would leave you alone for once."

Alex peeked up through his fringe. He hadn't expected such a calm accepting answer from Jack. From previous experiences, he knew that Jack was a bright, fiery woman, but she had accepted everything so peacefully these past few days that it was a bit unnerving.

Jack had certainly changed from a impulsive personality to one that was much quiter. He supposed that some bit of it was his fault. Perhaps the stress of Alex's abscences during missions had finally caught up with her, taming her. He felt guilty; he was affecting so many people adversely.

"I wish that, too," replied Alex regretfully. He really wanted to go with Jack no that trip, but once again, MI6 ruined his plans. They were quite good with that.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked, going back to her chopping.

"About a week and a half," Alex answered. "I got MI6 to assign you a few gaurds while I'm away, just in case, you know."

"Bodygaurds? Well, are they handsome and buff?" joked Jack, recovering some of her humor. "Will they be following my every move?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Alex laughed. That felt good. He hadn't laughed in awhile now. Jack's comment cheered him up immensly.

"Well, I don't know about that. Do you think I'm handsome and buff?" asked Alex as he posed for Jack.

"You're a bit lacking in the height department," chuckled Jack and swatted him lightly on the head. Alex looked at her indignantly.

"I'll have you know that I am average for my age! This is a perfectly acceptable height," said Alex in a mock-pompous voice.

Jack replied, "Yeah, yeah, go and pack you little punk. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Alex grinned at her and took off to the stairs. He made his way into his room and grabbed a duffle bag inside his closet. Without further ado, he started throwing things he would need at Breacon Beacons into the bag. He couldn't bring too much, just the bare essentials. The camp would provide the rest, he was sure.

He looked around his room once more wondering if their was anything else he would need. His eyes alighted on the keychain. He stuffed it in his bag with a couple of other nifty little gadgets Smithers had made for him. It was always important to be prepared. Who knows what might happen.

Dinner was a nice affair. They talked about all kinds of things, always skirting around any topic that had to deal with MI6 or Breacon Beacons. It was relaxing for Alex to focus on the normal life.

Soon after dinner, Alex went to bed. He was knackered. Suprisingly he slept well that night and woke up to the annoying beep of his alarm. His hand slammed down on the off button.

Blearily he opened his eyes. The sun was streaming in from the window across from his bead. He winced at the bright sunlight. Suddenly he sat up. _Bugger, _he thought, _K-unit were coming to pick him up today._

Wearily he searched for some clean clothes to wear from his closet. He slipped a T-shirt and some shorts. Then he grabbed his duffle bag and tromped downstairs. Jack was humming in the kitchen as he gobbled down his breakfast. After he had finished, he looked at the clock. It was 7:50, he still had ten minutes before K-unit arrives.

"I'm going to go watch some TV before they come," he called to Jack as he headed towards the living room.

Jack mumbled a distracted 'okay' as she leaned against the kitchen counter reading the newspaper.

Alex turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. There wasn't anything good on in the morning. He paused on some random show, just letting the words flow over him. He wasn't really paying attention to the show. Instead he was anticipating K-units arrival.

All too soon, the doorbell rang. Alex bounded over to the front door and looked out through the window. The four members of K-unit were grouped uncomfortable on Alex's porch. He opened the door as Jack came into view. He beckoned the unit members into his house and decided to make introductions.

"Err..right, K-unit, this is Jack. Jack, meet K-unit. That's Wolf, Snake, Fox, and Eagle," said Alex nervously, pointing out each unit member. They all gave a polite nod or a hello to Jack. There was a moment of silence before Jack burst into giggles. The men looked bewildered at her reaction as did Alex.

Jack gasped between bouts of laughter, "Named…after…..animals!" For some reason she thought this funny and couldn't control her giggling.

"Um, okay, I'll just go and grab my bag then," said Alex hurrying into the living room. He came back holding his duffle bag.

"I'm ready to go," said Alex and turned to Jack. They briefly hugged. Jack had managed to subdue her giggles and now looked at Alex with loving eyes.

"Be safe. I'll see you soon," she whispered into Alex's ears.

To the unit members she said seriously, "I want you to give me your word that you will keep Alex safe."

Wolf, the leader of the unit, said gruffly, "We'll keep Cub safe."

Alex squeezed her tighter in the hug. Then he remembered K unit was still standing awkwardly watching this whole scene. He pulled out of Jack's embrace and headed for the front door after the unit members. Jack watched from the front door.

Alex climbed into a black jeep that was parked beside the curb and slung his duffle bag in the back. He waved back at Jack was the car was pulling away from the house. There was an awkward silence in the car.

"So, to Wales we go, then," said Alex into the silence.

"This is going to be a long week and a half," said Fox, knowingly. Nobody

replied.

**AN: Kay, so that was the tenth chapter. Not much action, but hey Alex is mentally recovering. Much awkwardness in K-unit meeting Jack. There will be much much K-unit later on. Yay! Right, so I have another outtake coming up soon, before the next full chapter. I like writing those. They provide a nice contrast. **

**Umm, what else? Oh right, so the updates will be significantly slower now. Real life is barging in. I'll have to deal with school work (Finals..ewww) and such. The only reason I was so fast in updating was because this was my memorial day long weekend. Hopefully there won't be too much of a long wait during updates. Maybe I'll update every other day or so now? I'll be alternating between Temptation and this one. So, anyways keep reviewing! Want to hear more from you guys. Thanks!**

**xoxo }} folkvir **


	12. Outtake Two: Folders

Outtake Two: Folders

_The __Sergeant sat with his feet propped up on the table at Breacon Beacons. He was flipping through a thick folder. His beady eyes scanned each page, taking in the information. A second one sat on his desk, this one even thicker. He knew that the boy was coming back to camp. He snorted. Granted, the kid was resourceful and determined, but why would MI6 send the boy back here again? He was annoyed at MI6. Those bloody secret operations people never told him anything. He didn't have high enough clearance. _

_At least this time, they had provided him some information about the boy. There was a sharp intake of breath as he read through Cub's file. He looked closely at the information printed on the page. The boy's name was Alex Rider. Rider, he thought, he had heard that name somewhere before. Then he remembered. _

_Ah yes, John Rider, the Sergeant remembered. John Rider had been a brilliant soldier, a paragon that many new recruits followed before Rider had went into MI6. He remembered vaguely that there had been some trouble with SCORPIA several years back. John Rider had been involved as some kind of double agent. He was dead now, thought the Sergeant. It had been a great loss. _

_Looks like MI6 has its clutches on the son now, he thought. The boy was just like his father, in many ways. They looked similar and even had similar mannerisms. He continued looking through the packet of information. Fourteen? The boy was recruited at fourteen? What was MI6 playing at? The Sergeant was astonished at Alex's age. He had always thought the boy had to be at least sixteen. _

_Disturbed, he flipped through the packet faster. The boy had gone on seven missions in the span of one year. All of them had been successful. The boy was a bloody hero, he thought. There wasn't very much details on each mission, but there was enough to get the gist of the purpose of each mission. Each brief description was enough to set a chill in his heart. He glanced at a list of the shady criminals, a few surprised him. Damian Cray? Hadn't he been a singer? He looked down the list, recognizing several people. Most of them had the words terminated in red next to them. So, that's what Alex had been doing, thought the Sergeant. The boy is in way over his head, yet he managed everything perfectly._

_The Sergeant briefly glanced at the medical portion of the packet. It was relatively long, detailing Alex's fitness and various injuries. Then his eyes bulged. He saw the words, one bullet wound near the heart and two grazes. Medication: none. With an exclamation, his feet dropped to the ground. Shot?! No medication or mention of PT? He growled. He snapped the folder shut, he had seen enough. The Sergeant was going to have some words with that bloody department, using the boy so ruthlessly. The second folder lay on his desk forgotten for the time being. The Sergeant strode angrily out of the building. _

**AN: So, yeah. There's the outtake, a bit short, but I think fitting. I didn't have much time to make it longer anyways. God, I really hate school, especially math. They always take away from my writing time. The next chapter will hopefully be up by Friday….maybe…..Alright, got to go study now. Don't forget to review. :D**


	13. Chapter 11: Arrival

Chapter 11: Arrival

The Sergeant paced around the cabin restlessly while waiting for K unit plus Cub to arrive. He had just finished a phone call with MI6. It had not gone well. He growled under his breath as he remembered what had happened.

_"Is Mrs. Jones or Mr. Blunt available?" asked the Sergeant using a special number he had been provided by MI6. There was a click on the other end. He suspected he was going to be on speakerphone._

_"Yes, this is Mrs. Jones speaking, Sergeant. Is something the matter?" answered Mrs. Jones. _

_The Sergeant snorted. He would bet his rank in the SAS that MI6 knew exactly what was a matter and why he had called. Special Operative personnel were always playing innocent or vague. _

_"That file you handed to me about the Rider boy. You've read it right", said the Sergeant, his voice a deadly calm._

_"Well, of course we have. We compiled the data on Agent Rider for….," started Mrs. Jones._

_"Then you must have noticed the medical section. The parts where it says the boy had not had PT yet? How can you look that over! Even my men get several months of PT as well as a rest period. I find none listed under the boy's records. For Christ Sake, you didn't even give him any meds and even sent him on a mission when he wasn't even out of the hospital yet!," exclaimed the Sergeant, righteous anger seeping into his voice. _

_He had cut straight to the chase. He wasn't one of those departments who always beat around the bush. He wanted to bare the hard facts and see them dealt with. The Sergeant astounded even himself with his own vehemence. _

_"You see, it was an emergency at that time. Then….." Mr. Blunt cut in trying to smooth things over._

_The Sergeant was not happy. He said "I don't want to hear your excuses. I know you are higher up than me, but listen closely. I know you are using the boy. You have caused him to see and perform horrors that he shouldn't be doing at his age. He's only fourteen, a schoolboy! You are probably sending him here to train for his next mission as I speak. I know I can't disobey your orders, but just know that I'm training Cub to help his own survival. Not. For. You. He needs to be prepared for whatever you guys have up your sleeves. Good day!"_

_The Sergeant slammed the phone down and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe he had just scolded his superiors. He had always been a calm, collected man, but somehow his fire ignited at the injustice._

_Meanwhile, the heads of MI6 stood in shock over the telephone in Royal & General Bank. Granted, they felt guilty every time they used Alex, but it was necessary they comforted themselves with. They exchanged a look. It was for the greater good._

The Sergeant sighed and sat down heavily.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Alex watched the scenery fly by as he sat in the car with K unit. They had been silent most of the car ride, preferring to communicate with meaningful looks at each other. Alex knew they were probably thinking about him. He sighed. He expected suffer similar treatment at the camp. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the nice breeze the speeding car had created. He looked like a normal teenager with his head leaned back, slightly relaxed.

They had been driving for several hours now. Alex suspected they were nearing Brecon Beacons in Wales. He thought it might be funny to ask the unit the question, 'are we there yet?', but he refrained.

Instead he asked, "How much longer till we reach Brecons?"

Wolf, who was driving did not answer. Fox who sat shotgun turned around and told Alex that they would be there in fifteen minutes. Snake and Eagle who were sitting in the back with him nodded thoughtfully. Alex nodded in thanks.

True to his word, several minutes later, the team pulled into Brecon Beacons. They drove up the trail deep into the camp and stopped in front headquarters. Several soldiers crowded around the jeep. The SAS were only lunch break at the moment.

They wondered what K unit was doing back here. Last time they had heard that Wolf, Fox, Eagle, and Snake had been stationed somewhere in England under Special Operations control. They had been a specialist team that rapidly responded to any situation as required. What were they doing back here? Most of the SAS didn't have a clue what went on over there. Their Sergeant wasn't exactly a wordy man.

Bear, leader of A unit, clapped Wolf on the back as he got out of the Jeep. They had always been good friends. He grinned at the other members of K unit as well.

"So, what have you been up to out there mates? Must been interesting working under that Blunt, huh? I've heard things about him," said Bear in a broad Irish accent. The other soldiers closed in as well, wanting to know what was going on. It wasn't everyday that their monotony was broken by the arrival of a unit who had returned. They waited eagerly for Wolf to answer.

"Well….," started Wolf, reluctantly. He wasn't sure that he was exactly allowed to reveal this information. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead as he tried to think of how to word the situation.

"Oh come on, don't tell me its….," started Bear jokingly. He tapped his nose knowingly and winked at K unit.

"Classified," a voice rang out from the Jeep. None of the soldiers had noticed Alex who was still sitting quietly in the vehicle. He had prefered to stay out of the soldier reunion. Besides, he didn't think he was exactly welcome here.

At the sound of his voice, many of the soldiers actually jumped. They hadn't seen or heard Alex. There was silence as the soldiers took in the sight of Cub who had come back. Said boy slowly got out of the car and walked cooly his units' side.

He looked directly into Bear's eyes and said, "That information does not pertain to you." Alex really didn't want what had happened a few days ago to circulate among the SAS. It was already bad enough that he didn't fit around here. He didn't want any more rumors going for him like at Brookland.

A soldier in the back called out, "Hey, isn't that the kid that was here several months ago?"

"Yea, little Double O' Nothing," realized another guy outloud. "What are doing back here?"

"What else is there to do here? Training, of course," replied Alex in an obvious voice.

"Cheeky little bugger, isn't he?" replied Fox in an amused tone. Alex glanced up at Fox and smirked.

Before any other soldier could comment or ask anything else, the Sergeant strode out. He had a foreboding look on his face.

The Sergeant barked out, "Attention!"

Immediately the men snapped into a straight line and saluted their superior. K unit and Alex did as well. The stern man looked approvingly at his men.

"Men, K unit and Cub have returned here to train. They will be leaving in a week and a half. Do not give them any trouble or pester them with any questions. Espcially the boy. He's under Special Ops control," snapped the Sergeant. His tone gave no room for questions.

The men mummured among themselves. So, this kid really was part of MI6. They had heard stories about that departments, but it was all red-tape. They were curious, but dared not to ask any to the Sergeant.

"Well, what are you still waiting here for," asked the Sergeant staring at them. "Back to your stations." All the men hurridly went back to where they came from.

The Sergeant turned back around to face K unit and Cub.

"Wolf, Fox, Eagle, Snake…Cub," greeted the Sergeant gruffly. He looked at each of them and wondered at the look in their eyes, his eyes lingered particulary longer on Cub. They had all changed since they were last back here. Espcially Cub. The boy did not fidget during his stare. Instead Cub focused on some unknown point on the Sergeant's shoulder, the eyes that had seen so much.

"I'll put you back in the old cabin," said the Sergeant. "You may have the rest of the day off today. Training starts promptly at five tomorrow. Do not be late. Schedules will be handed out to you during breakfast."

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

The five members of K unit grabbed their bags from the Jeep and headed towards their cabin.

The Sergeant watched their retreating backs thoughtfully.

**AN: Yep so there it is. The group has finally arrived at Brecon Beacons. Get ready for some interesting times here. Woot! So, yeah, admittedly I haven't been writing as much as I wanted to this past week. I've been more or less playing on gaia online these days and reading fanfics. I'm just so lazy. Sometimes I might need a little kick in the rear end to get writing, so don't hesitate to pop an email or pm to me. Anyways, I gotta go study and stuff. Oh and review please! Thanks**

**xoxo }} folkvir**


	14. Chapter 12: Settling In

Chapter 12: Settling In

Alex sat on the edge of his cot, having already finished unpacking. He was satisfied with the arrangement of the cots. Wolf and Eagle were situated near the back of the cabin against the wall. That left Snake and Fox in the middle area. Since the cabin usually held four cots, the fifth one was squeezed in next to the door. Alex liked that he was near the door. Ever since his missions had started, he liked to be situated near doors or windows. Easier to escape, he reasoned.

The other members of the unit continued to unpack their items. Alex waited for them patiently. He wondered what they were going to do for the rest of the day. He moved his uniform to the bottom of the bed. Then he leaned back on the cot and closed his eyes listening to the talk and shuffling around of Wolf, Eagle, Snake, and Fox. Several minutes later the men were done. He opened his eyes and looked at them.

Wolf said to the general vincity, "We have to get our physicals done before dinner. Let's go."

The whole group including Alex trailed out behind Wolf. They walked on the well worn path up to the medical facility stationed in Brecon Beacons. It was a short walk from their cabin but the terrain was rough.

Wolf gave their names to the nurse and they sat down to wait for their names to be called. Alex looked around him. The waiting room was decked out like any other waiting room in a medical facility. Alex picked up a magazine next to him on the table. He snorted when he saw the cover. It was a weapons magazine. He glanced at the other readable materials around him. All on weapons, fighting tactics, or other such things. He glanced at his unit members and noticed that most of them were perusing the magazines happily. He rolled his eyes.

Soon the nurses came and took each of them into a private room. Alex followed a pretty blond nurse into the interior of the medical facility.

"Mr. Rider, I am going to give you a regular physical and then you will head in Dr. March's room for your psychological evaluation," said the nurse with a chart in hand. Her name tag read Becky Waltzers.

She smiled at him and lead him to a scale. Alex underwent numerous tests for his height, weight, eyesight, all the sings a school nurse or family doctor would check for. He was perfectly fit.

Becky glanced down at her chart. She told him to take off his shirt so she could examine his recent wounds and other old injuries. Grimacing, Alex took exposed his bare chest. He waited for the inevitable questions as the nurse studied and prodded his chest.

To his surprise, the nurse did not say anything. He looked at her. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were full of pity. Alex could imagine what she was thinking now. He sighed. He hated pity. Alex turned his head to watch the wall.

Fortunately after a couple more awkward minutes, the nurse was finished with her checkup.

She glanced at Alex and said, "Well, Mr. Rider. It seems that you are in good shape and very fit for your age. There is no sign of infection in your bullet grazes. I hope the old one does not still pain you?"

Alex answered quietly, "Not anymore."

Becky smiled softly at Alex and handed him a bottle from the counter.

While indicating his bullet grazes, she said, "These are for the pain if you ever need them."

Alex nodded in thanks. He put the bottle inside his shirt pocket and put on his shirt. The kind nurse pointed him in the right direction for his psychological evaluation. He dreaded this part. At Malagosto, he had endured the same test. He wondered if they had similar questions.

Upon reaching the room, Alex knocked quietly on the door. A muffled voice called, "Come in."

Alex slowly turned the handle and walked in. A middle aged man with round glasses sat behind a large mahagony desk. The man's fingers were steepled as he gazed at the boy that had just entered.

"Mr. Rider, please have a seat," he said with a smile.

Alex sat down in the cushioned chair and waited for the questioning to start. It wasn't too bad at first. Dr. March asked all the normal questions first while typing his answers into the computer. They were easy. How old were you when you first started working for MI6? How many missions have you gone on? What do you do on these missions? Alex answered all of them curtly, not giving out too much information. Just enough to satisfy the man. Luckily, the doctor did not pry too deeply.

Finally came the Rorschah test. Alex hated this test. What was the point of searching for familiar shapes in inkblots? He frowned as he told the doctor what he saw on each card. A man with a knife. A gun. A dead parachuter. An old woman hunched over. A grenade. On and on went the cards. He felt disturbed as he looked at each blob of ink. Why are they all so violent looking? Did the SAS have a special set of cards? He didn't remember the cards at Malagosto being this gruesome. He looked the doctor after the test was finished. Dr. March had a faint crease in his brow and was muttering something beneath his breath as he was writing down notes

Alex winced. He doubted the man approved of his answers. With a final scribble of his pen, the doctor looked up at Alex and arranged a smile on his face.

"All done here, Mr. Rider. You may return to your cabin. We will contact you at a later date after we analyze the results of your tests. Have a good day," said the man.

Alex was glad the evaluations were over. Wolf, Eagle, and Snake were standing in the waiting room. Looked like Fox wasn't finished yet. However a moment later, Fox appeared. They walked outside. The sun was setting, casting a red glow on the whole camp. The evaluation had taken most of the afternoon.

Wolf checked his watch and announced that they should go to the mess hall for dinner. They entered the noisy mess hall filled with SAS soldiers. Immediately the sound level died down a bit as they watched K-unit and Cub head towards the food line.

The cook behind the counter said as Cub passed by, "Hey, have I seen you before?"

Alex murmured a quiet, "Yes." He wanted to move on and eat his dinner without causing a scene. He glanced around him umcomfortably. The cook narrowed his eyes at Alex and a sudden recognition sprang in his eyes. Hurridly the man spooned Alex's dinner onto his plate. The boy nodded and walked away.

He was faced with a dilemma. Here he was, a teenage boy, standing in a mess hall filled with soldiers and he didn't know where to sit. It was like high school all over again. Several curious gazes met his eyes. Should he sit alone or with his unit members?

Alex vacillated. Finally he decided to head over to an empty table. He was about to sit down when he heard a voice call out his name.

"Hey Cub, come sit with us," Fox shouted. Alex flushed as Fox's yell drew attention to him again. Forcing a smile onto his face, Alex sat down at K-unit's table. Dinner was rather pleasant. Wolf, Eagle, Snake, and Fox didn't ask him anything related to his missions. They talked about other things. Such topics included Wolf's newly acquired gun that was handprint sensitive and other weapons. The adult unit members were shocked that Cub knew so much information about weapons. Cub smirked a little. It was all from his training in SCORPIA. They'd be surprised at the amount of this kind of information he knew.

As Alex got up to dump his tray, his path was blocked by a soldier. The man had close-cropped dark brown hair and crooked nose. The brown eyes of the man bore into Alex's. Alex stiffened. There was omnious air around this man.

This man spoke in a loud carrying voice, "So I heard you had a brief touch with SCORPIA."

Alex face drained of color and his fists clenched. How did these men know? He was pretty sure his unit members didn't spread anything around. Did the Sergeant announce something?

The other man looked gleeful at Alex's reaction. He knew he had hit a nerve in the boy. Alex set his mouth in straight line. He really didn't want to start anything, espcially so early in the week. He was here to train for the holidays, nothing more. Couldn't they just leave him alone?

By now the rest of K-Unit had stood up and walked over to Cub. They didn't like how another soldier was provoking one of their own.

"Well, answer the question bo…..," started the man sneering at Alex.

"Lay off, Jackal!" said Wolf sternly.

"Oh look at that, mummy Wolfy is coming to protect its Cub," mocked Jackal. Sniggers were heard around the room. Wolf turned red in anger and sputtered.

Jackal laughed and turned to shove Alex.

Alex, anticipating the attack, caught the wrist easily. He gripped it hard and twisted it slightly. It was hand-to-hand combat technique he had learned from his SCORPIA training. The pressure of the grinding bones in the wrist made Jackal wince. The man swore harshly.

Cub leaned in and whispered, "I don't know what problem you have with me. What I do is none of your business. Please leave me alone."

Jackal had an angry scowl on his face and tore his arm out of Alex's grasp. Snake smiled grimly as Jackal stalked off. Alex knew things were not over yet between Jackal him. The rest of the soldiers in mess hall murmured about his knew turn of events. The boy had stood up to a soldier and even made the other storm off.

Alex sighed and headed out back towards the cabin.

Eagle caught up with him as they were walking back and said, "Don't mind Jackal, he has some anger mangament problems." The soldier cracked a smile and nudged Alex. Alex gave a tentative smile back.

Together they entered the cabin while the rest of the unit came in a couple of minutes later. Lights were turned out as the unit members climbed into bed. Alex turned over and pulled the blankets up. He needed a good night's rest for tomorrow.

**AN: Woot! Alex is getting settled in with of course a little blip here and there. The good thing is K-unit are getting protective of Cub. Soon in the next chapter I will get into some of the actual training stuff the camp does. That should be fun. :D And don't worry, for you Yassen lovers out there, he will be coming in soonish….So yeah, that's it for now. Enjoy and review please!**


	15. Chapter 13: Fight

Chapter 13: Fight

Brilliant sunlight streamed in through the small windows of the cabin. A boy tossed around on his cot in the throes of his dreams. Small pleading whimpers sounded from the boy. The boy was having a nightmare. Wolf, who always slept lightly, woke up to the sounds of Cub's distressed sounds. He looked at his watch. It was only four in the morning. He groaned and got up. He supposed he should shake the poor boy awake.

Tossing his covers aside, Wolf padded quietly to Cub's side. His soft tread had woken up Fox however, who blinked sleepily at him in the early morning light. Wolf put a finger to his mouth as if to tell Fox not to wake the others up. The man himself walked right up to Cub's bedside.

Wolf reached out a hand and shook Cub's shoulder to wake him. In another second there was a giant thud on the floor and muffled curse. Cub sat on Wolf's stomach with an elbow to the man's throat. The boy was breathing heavily and his eyes had gone flinty. By now, Snake and Eagle had woken up and were staring in astonishment at the scene. Wolf was looking up at Alex in shock.

After a long silence, Fox reached out a hand to touch Alex and said, "Alex, I think you should get off Wolf, now."

Alex blinked slowly and in another snap, he was back on his bed. He put his head in his hands. He had reacted so violently to Wolf who had apparently tried to shake him out of his nightmares. He shuddered. _Why can't I just react normally, _he thought to himself.

To Wolf, he murmured a quiet, "I'm sorry."

Wolf was getting up painfully from the floor and massaging his bruised throat. He exchanged a look with his teammates, but suprisingly did not explode with his usual hot temper. He looked at Alex's hunched position and sighed.

"Well, at least you have fast reflexes," said Eagle, trying to lighten up the atmostphere. The group let out a weak chuckle.

_It came from a lot of practice,_ Alex thought to himself. SCORPIA had specifically trained its recruits to be ready at any possible moment. That included the moment you wake up from sleep. Now he reacted almost without thinking based on his muscle memory. He felt bad about pinning Wolf down.

Alex looked up at his fellow teammates. Since everyone was up now, they had decided to get ready for the day. Uniforms were put on and the unit went to the lavatory.

Alex splashed water on his face and looked into the mirror. There were slight shadows under his eyes from the little sleep he had gotten. After finishing up, he headed towards the mess hall for breakfast.

After filling up his tray with food, Alex headed over to the table where his unit had sat last night. Fox, Wolf, and Eagle were already sitting down. Snake came loping in a minute all of them were seated, Wolf handed out the schedules.

Alex looked down at his. It was similar to the one had he gotten the first time around, except this time there were a couple of extra things. Shooting range. Vehicle handling. Parachuting. Combat training. Weapons lectures. An extra language course? Alex almost chuckled, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. The language course intrigued him. He already knew French, German, Spanish, and a bit Italian. He looked at the choices availabe on the list. He narrowed it down to two. Mandarin or Russian. He chose Russian.

Alex leaned over to look at Eagle's timetable and said, "So do I train mostly with you guys, then?"

"You will be with us some of the time and train with other units later," answered Eagle not looking up from his own timetable.

An hour later, it as time for Alex and his unit members to start training. First on the schedule was a one point five mile run in under nine minutes and thirty seconds preceded by at least forty-four press-ups and fifty situps. It was a personal fitness test as thes soldiers called it. Alex fought the urge to bang his head on the table.

Sighing he dumped his tray and headed to the familiar starting point of the trail. Other unit members were already there. They more or less ignored him, although looks were sometimes thrown his way. Alex sat down and performed his situps and did his pressups as well. After a quick strech of his muscles, he jogged along the path.

Alex breathed in the fresh air of the surrounding forest as he ran. It was relaxing, he had always like running. He was careful not trip over any stray stones or branches and make a fool of himself to those behind him. He sped up to put a little distance between himself and the rest of the units.

Then he heard the pounding of feet behind him. He looked back and saw Jackal sneering at him. He mentally sighed. Couldn't the man just leave him alone? Sensing danger from behind him, he slowed down and swerved to the side. Out of the cornor of his eye he saw Jackal stumble. Apparently the man was just about to shove him. Jackal glared angrily at Alex, but didn't do anything since Wolf had caught up to them.

With a well placed glare, Wolf sent Jackal scurrying off to the main group.

Wolf said gruffly, "You alright there Cub?"

"Yeah," Alex answered.

Fortunately soon the run was over. Everyone had made the cut and got below nine minutes. Alex stood off to the side and waited for his heart beat to slow down.

A few minutes later Alex headed towards the lake. It was time for the swimming test. He put a toe in the water, it was freezing. The other men and him took off their heavy combat clothes and dove in the water. They made several laps in the icy black water. Alex was glad to get out of the water and head to the showers afterwards.

After a quick lunch break, it was back to training again. This time it was first aid review. Each unit was arranged at a station and had a kit. Alex and his unit pored over a first aid kit. They practiced splinting, bandaging, and all sorts of things that could help a person who was injured.

Alex sat down on the hard ground while fingering the frayed end of a gauze roll. He was exhuasted already. It had been a long day so far. He squinted in the sunlight. It was getting late. He knew he had one more station to go to today. It was a combat fitness test. After today, training would get more specialized.

Someone tapped him on his shoulder. It was Fox. He heaved himself off of the ground and joined his team as they walked towards the combat training location. Other units were already arranged there. Alex recognized B, D, F, and S units. To his dismay, he saw Jackal was present as well. He hoped he wouldn't get assigned to practice with that team. He looked at the chart hanging off a nearby cabin. He was going to get tested by D unit.

Alex reluctantly made his towards D unit which included Bear. He stopped in front of them and waited for them to acknowedge him.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Cobra, Lynx, Hawk, and I are the ones testing you Double O' Nothing," said Bear. Alex grimaced at the use of that nickname. He hated it.

"Show us what you got," continued Bear as all of them dropped down into the combat stance.

Alex smiled a light smile. He had been here before. Four or more against one. He was ready. Bear came at him first with a front jab. Alex dodged. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hawk coming up behind him. He barely moved out of the way and felt Hawk's back kick graze him.

The next few minutes were a flurry of kicks and jabs that Alex defended himself against. He felt the sweat running into his eyes and his body was aching. He had avoided many attacks, but of course a fair few had landed on its mark. Alex didn't even think while he fought. It came naturally, practiced movements. He could tell that D unit were impressed that he had lasted this long against the four of them.

Suddenly Alex lashed out with a roundhouse kick. It connected and downed Cobra immediately. Cobra groaned on the ground. _One down, three to go, _thought Alex grimly. They continued fighting. Wolf and Eagle had finished their combat test and were now wandering over to view how Cub was doing. A few other soldiers who had finished their testing had also come over to watch. Alex noticed them watching. He didn't like having an audience.

Alex winced as Lynx clipped him on the ear. He shot forward with an elbow jab. It knocked Lynx out fortunately. Now Alex just had Bear and Hawk left. He knew Bear was the better fighter and had a seriouse weight advantage over him. _Better to take out Hawk first_, thought Alex. Another fist connected with his face. It hurt. He could tell it was going to bruise. He felt the watching soldiers behind him shift restlessly. They were uncomfortable watching four grown men beating on a teenager. However, said teenager had already taken down two members already. They were impressed.

Alex focused on knocking Hawk out. He never noticed the first that came flying towards his chest. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and waves of pain radiated from his chest area. Bear had punched him directly over his bullet wound. Alex hissed through clenched teeth. It hurt so much, like his chest had been ripped wide open. He put hand on his chest. A red screen came down over his eyes. He was on automatic now. He wanted to get the fight over as soon as possible.

Hawk cast him a concerned gaze when he noticed Alex almost bent double from the apparent pain he was in.

Bear, oblivious to this mocked, "Oh is the little boy hurt? Maybe he needs his mommy to get him. He doesn't belong here anyways."

Alex's hands clenched in anger and pain. He spat, "My mother is dead, you bastard."

The boy launched himself while his chest still seared with pain. He launched a powerful kick at the unsuspecting Hawk and proceeded to attack Bear. Through a haze of agony and sweat, he did his best to knock out Bear. After all, it wouldn't do for Alex to kill him with the other moves he knew. After a tense struggle, Alex managed to press down hard on one of Bear's pressure points. The man's eyes rolled back into his head and crumpled.

Alex stood with hands on knees panting. There was silence from the watching soldiers. The weariness dragged at Alex's limbs. He had ignored the pain from his chest during the fight, but now he felt it with a vengance. The pain was almost blinding and it pounded in sync with his giant headache. He had taken a good bashing.

There was one thing he needed now. Alex mumbled a garbled, "Pills…."

Snake hurried over worriedly. Blackness creeped into Alex's vision. The ground seemed to get nearer and nearer. His fellow team member managed to catch Alex before he hit the ground. Snake sighed. The boy had pushed himself too far.

Snake carried the boy towards the medical facility. K unit followed.

**AN: Okay, okay, don't yell at me! I couldn't write at all last week. I was really busy with finals and that sort of stuff. Sorry, this chapter came out a bit later than usual…okay a lot later than usual. School's finally out though. Woot! Anyways, what do you think of this chapter. I'm not really good at writing training stuff, so I hope this is somewhat okay. Hopefully the next few chapters will get better. Poor Alex though, he's in some real pain. Right, so don't forget to REVIEW. :D**


	16. Chapter 14: Take It Easy

Chapter 14: Take It Easy

Alex stirred restlessly, but didn't open his eyes. His fingers touched soft sheets and his body was comfortably nestled in something soft. Where was he? He grimaced and thought, _if this is heaven, then I want to stayt. _He tried to turn over, but he felt an excrutiating pain in his side. He gritted his teeth. Wasn't heaven suppose to painless? He stopped moving and his head fell back into a pillow. Only then did he became aware that there was an annoying beeping sound somewhere near his head. Aggh, it was probably just his alarm. His arms flailed a bit trying to find the button to turn it off.

Then he opened his eyes slowly. Brown eyes squinted at the sudden intrusion of light. He was blinded by white. He recognized this. An infirmiry. Or was it an asylum? The teenage spy chuckled darkly.

The door to his room opened with a quiet snap. Immediately Alex's eyes flew towards the direction of the sound. His body was tense and his eyes alert. He relaxed as he saw it was the nurse who had given him the physical.

Becky's eyes were gaurded and she glanced at her chart. Her eyes scanned the form of Alex Rider on the gurney. He looked so small and vurnerable swamped in the pile of pillows and sheets.

"Mr. Rider, you are a lucky boy. Your lower body only obtained minor cuts and bruises. However, two of your ribs were bruised. We checked for lung damage, and found none. You should take it easy the next two days," the Becky informed the boy.

Alex nodded and dropped his head back down on the pillow. There was a muffled curse on the other side of his room. Becky chuckled.

She called out, "He's awake now."

To Alex she said, "Your unit has been waiting for four hours while you were out. Do you want to see them now?"

"Not really," he muttered. All he wanted to do was lie down and just go to sleep. His chest pained him and he was just so tired. He turned away from the nurse and faced the window.

Becky mumured, "I'll them you aren't ready then."

She walked across the room towards the door. Before she could turn the handle, the door was opened again. Another woman stepped through. Short black hair and a severe suit with blunt black heels. He heard the clacking of the heels striking the ground. The peppermint smell preceded her. Alex wished he was still out cold. Nothing good ever came about when MI6 heads visited him.

Alex sensed Mrs. Jones standing at his bedside, but didn't want to acknowledge her just yet.

"Alex, I'm sorry about your newly acquired injuries. Fortunately, they shall be better in a few days and meanwhile you can take it easy here. I have already talked to the Sergeant," announced Mrs. Jones to the back of Alex Rider.

Alex turned around and faced her fully and said, "So what I am to do to fill the time?"

"You will attend weapons lectures and your language course. I have also assigned a private tutor for you," said the lady. She hesitated and continued, "And I would like you to visit your therapist once a day."

Alex hissed in anger. Therapist? He didn't need a therapist. God, it wasn't like he was insane or would go off killing everyone he met. He wanted his life to be private, for everyone to stop intruding. He'd be damned if he was going to willingly attend these sessions.

Mrs. Jones sensing his extreme anger, tried to say soothingly, "It's for your own good. I regret not having done this sooner."

Alex didn't trust himself to speak just yet. His eyes flashed as he glared at Mrs. Jones.

Gritting his teeth, he ground out a curt, "Fine."

Mrs. Jones, decided she had overstayed her welcome and said as she was walking out the door, "I'll be receiving reports from your teachers."

Alex vowed to himself he was going to fight it every step of the way. Wearily, he leaned back in his pillows.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning, Alex was discharged from the infirmary. There were still bandages around his chest. He walked towards the waiting room where he saw the rest of his unit waiting for him. They weren't the only unit. Alex was surprised to see D unit also standing there.

"A welcoming committee," joked Alex. A few of the men let out quiet chuckles.

"Cheeky brat," said Fox as he cuffed Alex on the shoulder lightly. Alex winced a bit, since his new bruise was still tender.

Snake punched Fox in the shoulder, admonishing Fox for causing Alex more pain. Eagle just smiled lightly at this whole scene.

Wolf said quietly, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Alex was glad that Wolf seemed to have changed his attitude this time around. Gone was the bastard like approach.

Bear shuffled forward towards the group. He looked a bit nervous and uncomfortable. Alex tensed a bit. Last time he had encountered this unit, things had gotten a little dicey. All four of them had ended up downed or unconcious. Alex doubted he would receive kind words.

"Umm Cub, I apologize for saying those cruel words about your mother and your err bruise…" trailed off Bear while gesturing vaguely at Alex's chest.

Alex was pleasantly surprised. He didn't expect apologies from these men. It must have taken a lot for this hard men to bend their pride enough to say sorry to a teenager like him.

He murmured a quiet, "Apology accepted."

Bear visibly lightened up, tension melting from his shoulders. It was apparent that Bear really had felt bad about saying that stuff and sending Alex into the infirmary. Then again, all four of D unit had been knocked down.

"Well, I got to say, your combat skills are bloody impressive," said Bear cheerfully now. "Never seen anything like it."

"Yeah nice moves," agreed Hawk.

"I didn't get to see much," mourned Lynx since he was one of the first out.

"Bear was out for hours," snickered the man to Bear's right, Cobra. Only, he of the four in his unit, had been concious to see the aftermath of the combat excersize.

"Yeah well," muttered Bear, "the kid know's his stuff. Where did you learn to fight like that? It's amazing!"

This was dangerous grounds. Alex answered vaguely, "Oh you know, places and my uncle made me take karate classes."

"Hmmm, you must have had a really good teacher," said Bear.

Alex nodded. Privately he thought, _Yeah, a real good teacher. One that taught how to kill with one blow._

Eagle noticing things getting a bit awkward said, "Right, so Alex here has some classes to go to now. He's gonna take things a bit easier for awhile." The man used air quotes while saying 'easier'. Alex scowled playfully.

With tensions all smoothed out, the nine people filed out of the infirmiry.

**AN: So, yeah there's the next chapter. I admit, I shouldn't have taken this long to get this one up, but hey I had work and stuff. Anyways, poor Alex is hurt again. Luckily he'll be doing some nonstrenuous stuff now. And guess what? Yassen is definitely coming in the next chapter!! So YAY!!! Alright, that's it for now. Enjoy and REVIEW!! :D**


	17. Chapter 15: Surprise

Chapter 15: Suprise

Alex stood in front of a small wooden building. He was the only one outside. K unit along with D unit had left awhile ago. He leaned against the wall and waited for the door to open. He could hear voices inside, sharp and demanding. Weapons lecture. He let his head thud softly against the wood paneling. He hadn't told MI6 that he already knew more about weapons than he ever cared to know.

A few minutes later, the door banged open. Alex rose to his feet. A couple of men filed out. They looked curiously at the boy standing outside. Nodding to the men, he strode into the building. It was cool in the air conditioned building. There were men already seated at the tables. Alex didn't recognize any faces. _New recruits probably_, he thought.

Alex walked to the front of the classroom where the teacher was standing conversing with another man. He decided to wait patiently for them to finish talking. He could feel the stares of the rest of the men on the back of his head.

The teacher turned to Alex. The man had a patronizing look on his face as he gazed at Alex. Alex bristled. Clearly the teacher thought he shouldn't be in this class. Alex thought that too. The man gave a little huff and tossed Alex a book. A thick book full of details on the latest weapons accessible to soldiers of the UN.

Clutching the book under his arm, Alex made his way to an empty desk in the back of the room. He nearly tripped on his way there. One of the men had decided it would be fun to see Alex trip and had stuck out his leg. Alex ignored the gesture and had walked with his head held high.

Alex seated himself in the hard chair and paged through his new book. He had seen most of the items in there before. Piece of cake he decided. At least no one would ridicule him for having less knowledge.

Half an hour later, he leaned back in the chair as much as he could and started drowning out the harsh grating voice of the teacher. It was boring. He already knew all the things the teacher was explaining. His mind wandered off. With eyes hooded, he contemplated what he would do after he was out of this hellhole. _Perhaps, vacation with Jack or playing some football with Tom, _he thought wistfully. _Too bad school starts immediately after this training._ Alex grimaced.

"Something not up to your standards, boy?" yelled a voice. Alex's snapped up to meet the glaring eyes of the weapons teacher. _Oops, perhaps I shouldn't have let my emotions speak so freely, _he thought.

"No, sir," Alex said politely. He didn't want to cause trouble. The other men were watching avidly at this exchange.

At Alex's words, the man began to swell in anger. Alex frowned. It seemed that this man was itching for an explosive brawl.

"Think you know so much, do you? I know you were paying attention to my lecture," the teacher gritted out.

The man whipped out a firarm from the cache of weapons on his desk. Alex tensed.

"What is this?" the man questioned, clearly believing that Alex had no idea what was in his hand.

"It's a Browning Hi-Power, sir. The firearm is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun with a 13-round magazine capacity…..," started Alex as he rattled off a couple more facts about the firearm.

The teacher gaped at Alex's knowledge. Eager to trip Alex up, he pulled out several more firearms and demanded Alex tell the class what each one was. The man was very put out as Alex managed to identify each one. Alex smirked. This was child's play to him.

"Fine, you seem to know your stuff," said the teacher gruffly, impressed with the boy's knowledge. There was a pause. "However, I want you to reassemble this."

The man dumped pieces of the Browning on top of Alex's desk. Sighing, Alex got to his feet. He looked down at the pieces in front of him. It was ironic. This gun had been the same type as the one he was first tested with in Malagosto. The one he had practiced with for endless days until he could assemble it blindfolded.

With a practiced hand, he started assembling the weapon. His movements were quick and sure. Only the click of metal on metal could be heard in the silent classroom as everyone watched Alex assemble the weapon with ease. With a final click, everything slid into place. Alex placed the fully reassembled Browning on the teachers hand and walked out of the classroom. Class had ended. There was dumbfounded look on everyone's faces.

The teacher snapped out a quick order after recovering his wits, "Shooting range tomorrow. Don't be late."

Alex was halfway to the medical facility. He dreaded going to see the therapist. What did he need a therapist for? He was perfectlly able to take care of himself. _I don't need to see some shrink_, he thought angrily. _Hadn't they messed with my life enough? I just want some privacy._

His feet dragged as he walked towards the room where the therapist was located. It was located next to Dr. March's office. He knocked softly on the wooden door. He was surprised to hear a high femnine voice calling out, come in.

Alex took a deep breath and opened the door. A motherly sort of woman sat in the wing-backed chair across the desk. She had soft brown hair that was twisted into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Her deep blue eyes look at Alex intently. Alex's chest twinged unexpectedly. It was if her eyes were peeling away the layers of his skin and looking deep into his soul. It made him almost uncomfortable, the way she look at him as if she cared.

"Hello Alex, my name is Dr. Stanton, but you may call me Mia," she said in a melodious voice.

"Mia," said Alex as he inclined his head. He took a seat across from her, not before looking around the room, unconciously memorizing the location of things. It was habit he had picked up from his perilous job. It was always prudent to take in the surrounds of his location.

Mia noticed the way Alex's darted around the room. It made her realize just how much this boy in front of her needed her help. No boys around his age should have to be like this. They should be having fun, living their lives.

Alex noticed a thick folder on her desk. He just knew it was his file. Great, another stranger who probably knew all the details to his life.

"So, Alex, I realize that you are on holiday from school…,"started Mia.

"Some holiday," muttered Alex quietly.

Mia laughed quietly. She inclined her head and said, "You are quite right. This probably isn't at the top of your list of things to do on the hols."

The rest of the hour with Mia went like this. Mia would ask something simple, anything that didn't have to do with his job. Alex would answer back, gradually opening up a bit. _It wasn't too bad so far,_ Alex thought. She wasn't exacty prying him for private details or wanting him to rehash some mission. On second thought, it was actually a bit relaxing just to have a pleasant conversation with another person who contributed as much as he did.

Mia was glad as she saw her charge relaxing in her prescence. She had delibrately skirted around dangerous topics, hoping to slowly broach the harder ones without an explosive reaction. Perhaps she would try next session

Soon, the clock chimed on the wall next to Alex. The therapy session was over. Relieved, Alex got to his feet. He held out a hand to shake the therapists.

"It was nice meeting you," he said sincerely. Alex had came into the room fully prepared to fight this unwanted intrusion, but this kind lady was not something he had expected. They hadn't even broached any topic related to his job. For that he was glad.

Smiling a little, he strode towards the exit door of the medical facility. He knew K unit was waiting outside to take him to his private tutor. Alex frowned as he wondered why the whole K unit wanted to be there to take him.

He saw the four men standing outside. They seemed a bit stiff in their stance.

"Hey," he greeted them. They saw him and smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach their eyes. Alex knew something was wrong.

"So, are you guys going to take me there or not?" he questioned lightly.

"Yeah, yeah," said Wolf a bit distractedly. The four men and Alex marched towards another building nearby.

On the way there, Alex said, "What's with all the long faces?"

Fox shifted uneasily and Snake seemed to tense a bit more. No one replied.

Wolf reached out and pushed the door open. A bit too hard. The door slammed into the opposite wall. Alex quirked his eyebrow at this display.

Then Alex's eyes alighted on the single figure in the room. A man stood facing the only window. A ray of sunlight hit the man's face as he turned around. His features were thrown into sharp contrast. Alex's knees almost buckled.

"Little Alex," said the man with a hint of a Russian accent.

"Yassen," whispered Alex. It was undeniable. The dead man who had both ruined and saved his life stood full of life before him. He clutched the door jamb for support.

**AN: Alright, alright…don't kill me. I know I haven't update in several, several days and I am very sorry. You see, the thing is, my parents banned me from using fanfiction saying it took up too much of time and stuff. GAHHH! So yeah, its gonna take me much much longer these days to actually write and post a chapter. Hopefully you guys still read it? Mhmmm so Trigger has been my priority right now since I'm having a bit of writer's block on Temptation at the moment. Kay, I think that's it for now. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. You guys keep me writing! :D**


	18. Chapter 16: Familiar

Chapter 16: Familiar

"What the bloody hell is going on?" exclaimed Eagle, voicing everyone's thoughts, excluding Yassen of course.

"Errr……," came Alex's intelligent reply. What was there to say? He couldn't very well tell the unit members their convulted history.

Alex, himself, wasn't sure what to feel about the man. The man who had been his father's partner. The man who had killed his uncle. The man who had stabbed his godfather who had in turn killed Alex's parents. The man who had both tried to kill and save his life.

There was an awkward pause as the six people stared at each other.

Then Fox asked tentively, "So, you guys know each other?"

Alex, reluctant on saying anything, replied, "Ummm yeah…he was there at a couple of missions." And then he had died and sent Alex off on a suicide mission. The last part he didn't voice outloud.

"And you're still alive?" questioned Snake in a wondering tone. It was obvious that K unit knew exactly who Yassen was, a internationaly famous assassin.

"We take turns trying to kill each other," replied Alex wrly. There was an amused chuckle from Yassen who was watching the proceedings with a small smirk on his face.

Finally, Alex spoke up, "So you guys mind if I speak to……?"

It was awkward trying to get K unit out of the picture. He wanted to ask the assassin questions that were burning in his mind and he couldn't very well voice them in front of the unit members. Fortunately Fox took the not so subtle hint and herded the rest out of the room. Wolf cast a distrustful glance at Yassen as he closed the door.

Alex decided to focus on a point slightly to the left of Yassen's face. He wasn't quite comfortable with the man. Given their past history, it was no surprise. Alex scuffed a boot against the wooden floor.

Lucky for Alex, Yassen decided to answer his unspoken concerns.

"The bullet punctured a lung. The paramedics arrived just in time to save me. You were passed out by then. They transported both of us to Saint Dominics. I slipped into a coma and had just woken up a few days ago. At least, this is what they told me," said Yassen in a quiet voice.

Both assassin and spy knew never to just take MI6's word face value.

Alex said, "My father……"

Yassen interupted, "They told me. After I had woken up. To spite me I think."

Alex tensed. And was Yassen mad? Did he want revenge, perhaps in the form of his son? Alex wondered.

"I can't say I'm too surprised. Your father, he was a good man. Not like the others. He never told me, but I think I just knew," said Yassen.

Alex let out a relieved breath and said, "Oh."

There was a pause where both men just looked at each other. Yassen said, "…..and your uncle. It was my job. You know what I do."

Alex sighed. He remembered the old vow he had made where he swore to kill the man standing in front of him. It felt like such a long time ago. He understood now. Although he was still angry at the man for killing his uncle, the ache of the loss had died down over the year. His uncle, in his own way, had been preparing him for this.

He moved on and said, "I acted on your words, you know. Went to Scorpia. I thought it was what my father would have wanted. They lied to me. Nearly got killed twice."

Alex smiled wryly. Yassen looked faintly regretful, but it was hard to tell on the assassin's mostly unemotional face.

"So I can't imagine you staying here voluntarily. What's keeping you here?" asked Alex.

To answer Alex's question, Yassen raised his left wrist. A thin metal bracelet was wrapped tightly around the man's rest. The metal glinted sinisterly in the sunlight. Alex walked closely for a better look.

"Not some fashion statement then,?" joked Alex, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Sedative bracelet. Unbreakable," said Yassen glaring at the offending piece of metal. "The Sergeant has the activator. He knows where I am every second of the day. Tracking device."

Alex hissed in shock. He was forcibly reminded of Invisible Sword. Of the tiger which had nearly eaten him, but was sedated by a simply push of a button. Alex didn't like this.

"I'm sorry," murmured Alex softly. Yassen gave him a curious glance.

"Now MI6 tells me to tutor you. They never specified any particular curriculum. I've decided to coach you in the Scorpia way among other things. I assume you are familiar?" said Yassen in a conversational tone.

Alex nodded in agreement.

He thought this was ironic. The situation was now reversed. In the past, Alex's father had mentored young Yassen. Now Yassen would mentor him.

They went and sat at the only table in the room. Yassen pulled out a notebook and several books.

"We will start with learning Russian each day. I will teach you the basics of it, since you will be here for only a couple more days," said Yassen.

Without further ado, the books were cracked open and they immersed themselves in the complicated language of Russian.

A few hours later, they moved onto other subjects. Mainly a review of SCORPIA had taught Alex. Yassen wanted to see in which subjects his student was competent. They labored away the hours of the afternoon. Alex, a brilliant student, when he actually had the time to apply himself, recalled his lessons perfectly from Malagosto. Yassen was pleased.

Soon the room darkened as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Alex found he had enjoyed the past several hours very much. Yassen was a good teacher. Not too impatient, but very exacting. The assassin wanted perfection which Alex was fine with. With his kind of job, he needed to be competent. Mistakes could not afforded

Alex glanced at the clock on the wall. Its was already seven. Time had flown. It was time to go the mess hall for dinner. To his surprise, Yassen followed him.

"You're eating with the soldiers?" asked Alex.

Yassen gave him a look as if to say 'where else?'. Alex had assumed that the assassin would eat somewhere else where there would be no prying eyes. Apparently not.

The walk to the mess hall was eerily silent. They were late for dinner. Most of the soldiers were no doubtly seated and eating already. Alex was filled with apprehension. Did the SAS soldiers know that Yassen was here?

Alex pushed the double doors open. The usually noisy room was now hushed as Alex and Yassen walked in. Alex mentally groaned. Great, more attention. It was obvious everyone knew who was standing next to him. It was clear that they weren't welcome. He could feel the glares digging into his back as he moved towards the cook.

Unconciously he mirrored himself after Yassen, who had cooly gathered his food and strolled gracefully to an empty table. Alex admired how Yassen seemed not to care that death glares were now carving pretty patterns into the back of his head. Alex too, cleared his face of any emotion and held his high while getting his food. He hadn't done anything wrong, so why should he cower?

The SAS were watching the proceedings with a mix of curiosity and anger. They did not understand Yassen or Alex. What place did a brat and assassin have in Britain's elite SAS camp.

Alex stood in front of the room holding his tray trying to make a decision. A dangerous one in the tense atmosphere of the room. Again he was presented with the problem of where to sit. He chewed his lip nervously.

On one hand, he felt like he was suppose to sit with K unit, his own team members. On the otherhand, Alex wanted to sit with Yassen. Partly because he wanted know more about his father, this man was the last link to his parents and partly because he could identify with the man. He wasn't sure which to choose. Picking one over the other would seem like a betrayal to the other side.

Alex felt the weight of many stares waiting for him to sit somewhere. K unit and Yassen were on the opposite sides of the room. Suddenly the idea of sitting alone seemeed preferable, but there was not a single empty table in sight.

Alex took a deep breath and walked towards the left. Toward Yassen's table. There was an audible intake of breath in the room and Alex fancied he was target which the SAS soldiers were busily shooting bullets at.

He cast a apologetic glance at K Unit. They were hurt by his choice, he could tell. Alex consoled himself with the idea he would tell them later back in the barracks. The journey to the other side of the room never felt so long.

There was curious look on Yassen's face as Alex sat down at his table. It made the man's face seem softer for a brief moment. It was only there for a few seconds, and then the assassin's face was back to the emotionless mask. Alex wondered if he had even seen that odd look.

Yassen and Alex ate their meal in companionable silence while ignoring the hostile waves rolling off the SAS.

It was awhile before Alex realized he was staring at the man's throat where there was a faint scar, straight as a ruler.

Yassen said quietly so aonly they could hear, "John gave me that one. Killed and saved a man with the same bullet."

Alex listened attentively to Yassen's tale, catching glimpses of what his father was like. To be that skilled, shooting a tiny spider off of a man's throat as well as eliminating the target, Alex was impressed. Alex wondered how his father felt during all those jobs. How did his father justify killing those people? Alex decided he had learned enough for today.

Both got up and dumped their tray in the waste bin as the others in the mess hall tracked their every move. It made Alex umcomfortable. Fortunately no one accosted them as they walked out.

It was a chilly night in Brecon Beacons as the two men strolled across the grounds to their respective barracks. Alex felt relieved at the absence of any confrontation, but he thought one moment too soon.

"Well, well, well….Look at what we have here," said the nasal voice of Jackal. "Scorpia scum."

His voice cut through the stillness of the night. Alex snarled. What was that man's problem? Neither Alex nor Yassen were in tip top shape for fight. Alex had a bruised rib while Yassen's muscles were no doubtly atrophied due to constant lack of use during his coma.

"I think a lesson needs to be taught here," said the same voice with a sneering tone.

Alex turned around and looked in horror. There was no less than ten men who had followed them across the grounds. And all of the them looked aggressive.

**AN: Kay, so that was one of my longer chappies. Really hard to think of how I wanted to word the reactions and stuff. Hope it was believable? I tried. Again, I'm sorry for the horribly late update, I am so slow at writing and I can't find much time to do it too. GAHH, how I hate summer work!! Then again, I did spend quite a few days just focusing on reading Harry Potter fics (can't resist thoughs). Oh and guess what? I got a fricking 5 on my AP Biology exam. HELL YES!!! Right enough of my chitchat here, but I have to say, I am sooo looking forward to writing the next chappie. I heart action scenes!!! **

**P.S. I need some big help on Temptation, I think. I have some kind of writer's block since I can't seem to think of what to write next. Leave some ideas in reviews there? LOVE hearing from you guys.**

**-- Folky**


	19. Chapter 17: Human

Chapter 17: Human

The back of Alex's neck prickled. A confrontation. Without even thinking, both Yassen and Alex shifted slightly. They were almost back to back, on the balls of their feet, ready. Their movements were fluid and subtle. To the regular person, it would have looked like they were only shifting in discomfort.

The SAS had spread evenly in a circle, in position to take them down. The odds were horrible. Ten plus healthy elite soldiers against two injured men.

The wind blew gently around boy and man, tossing their hair around. Silence pressed down upon the grounds.

Yassen broke the silence with a small whisper.

"Alex, I shall be evaluating your combat skills," said Yassen calmly and quietly.

It was as if everyone was waiting for this signal. Both sides launched into action. The Russian was ruthless in motion. It only took a single blow from the fair haired man to floor an SAS soldier. However, fists did land on the man as three SAS ganged up on the assassin. Flickers of pain crossed the man's face, but the stoic mask was still more or less in place.

In the flurry of flying limbs, Alex vaguely wondered if the Russian would snap. What if instead of just knocking the SAS unconcious, the assassin decided to go for killing blows? After all, the man was trained to do so. He was trained to do so as well. Even now, he could feel power in his limb that he had to restrain. The skills he had learned in SCORPIA, the ones he needed to hold back now.

The fight seemed to blur for Alex. It felt detached, as if he was watching himself repel his attackers. He was just going throught he motions, this fight, one of the many others he had experienced. Still, even through this state, his moves were exact. A roundhouse kick here. A block. An elbow jab. After all, Yassen said he was watching.

Alex winced as a fist slipped through his defense and managed to clip his side. Pain lanced up his side, but Alex gritted his teeth. The fight was not over yet. Jackal and four others remained. The rest were either out cold or moaning on the ground to Alex's morbid amusement.

The SAS decided to spread themselves evenly. Two for Alex, and two for Yassen. Unfortunately Jackal and another SAS member Alex vaguely remembered as Tiger ganged up on him.

Both Yassen and Alex felt weary as exhaustion dragged at their muscles. It was too soon, much too soon, for both of them to be fighthing again. Sweat was running into Alex's eyes. He blinked rapidly to clear them.

A fist came flying towards Alex's head. He jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. While he had been busy trying to avoid Jackal's attack, Tiger had sneaked up behind him. It was too late for Alex's to avoid the Tiger's arms wrapping around his neck and arms. He was somewhat trapped and suffocating in the man's harsh grip. Jackal took this oppurtunity to advance upon Alex's weakened state. Alex glanced over quickly at Yassen, but the man was still engrossed in his own battle.

Alex struggled violently as Jackal came closer, but Tiger's grip was tight.

"What IS your problem?!" snarled Alex at Jackal.

Jackal's face was distorted when he leaned up right close to Alex's face and sneered right back, "YOU. I hate the fact that you, an insignificant boy, can just show up camp and have everyone bending over backwards for you. I hate the fact that you were with SCORPIA. Oh yes, I know you defected. You're a traitor, SCORPIA scum. YOU killed my brother! I hate you!"

Alex recoiled and blood drained out of his face. His body felt weak as the words sunk into his mind. Kill? Killed Jackal's brother? Did he do that? Why couldn't he remember? His gut twisted.

"How…." Mumbled Alex through trembling lips.

"I can see it in your eyes. You're a killer. You killed him. He was there at the Church of Forgotten Saints. He was there because of you. He got killed to rescue your worthless body!" raged Jackal, a grief-maddened expression on a his face. "If he hadn't….if he wasn't….it was YOUR fault!"

Alex barely felt it when Jackal began raining fists on his body. He hadn't seriously thought about it until now. How many other people got killed because of him? How many lives had he cost? Innocent lives. He wanted to throw up. Alex thought he had just as well killed this man's brother even if he hadn't pulled the trigger himself.

Suddenly the blows stopped. Alex glanced up and saw Yassen pounding away at Jackal. The assassin was almost snarling, an emotion that had broken through the man's blank mask.

"You're wrong," hissed Yassen as he landed a particularily heavy blow on Jackal. "He is only a child, and he has gone through more than anyone his age should have experienced."

"What would you know?" sneered Jackal through bloody lips.

"Alex has never killed an innocent person intentionally," said Yassen. "He's not…he's not like me."

"You guys don't belong here." Said Jackal defiantly.

An odd glint came into Yassen's cold blue eyes. For a moment there, Alex believed that Yassen was going to kill Jackal. The trance he was previously in was broken and Tiger's arms had somewhat loosened as the man was watching Yassen and Jackal fight. Knowing this was going to hurt him as well, Alex smashed the back of his head into Tiger's face. It was efficient. Tiger now had a bloody nose and was unconcious. Alex rubbed the back of his head and neck ruefully. He had a blinding headache.

There was a thud. Jackal was on his back on the ground motionless. Yassen straightened up and started walking towards Alex.

"He's not dead….is he?" asked Alex, cautiously.

"No." said Yassen simply.

"I..thank…," started Alex looking down at his feet.

Yassen interrupted, "Don't believe that man's words. He's just acting out of grief….."

"But," wavered Alex. He sorely wanted to believe Yassen's words, but the accusations of Jackal still verberating in his skill.

Yassen looked seriously into Alex's eyes, "It is not your fault."

There was a strange prickling at Alex's nose. He looked away quickly. It was the first time someone has said this to him after Ian had died. He had wanted to hear those words for a long time, even though he had not known that himself at that time. Everytime a mission had ended, Alex had felt more and more weighed down with an unexplicable sorrow. Now the black cloud hanging over Alex had cleared a bit.

"Thanks," muttered Alex, a bit thickly. He quickly cleared his throat.

Yassen tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"Now, you need work on…….." started Yassen, as if they had just finished a lesson. He never got to finish. The man crumpled to his knees. Alex rushed forward to catch Yassen and staggered under the weight. He slowly lowered the man to the ground.

"Yassen!" called Alex frantically, nudging the man's shoulder. No response. What had happened? Did Yassen get injured internally somewhere? Worried thoughts raced through his head. It was then he heard the babble of voices coming nearer. He peered at the Yassen's face, the man seemed to be unconcious.

A couple of dark figures were running up the hill. Another tall figure approached from behind. In the dim light of evening, Alex made out the form of the Sergeant. Alex closed his eyes in fustration. All of them were going to catch hell.

"Cub!" came the calls from K-unit as they rushed to the fallen figures of Alex and Yassen.

Both the Sergeant and K unit stuttered to a halt. Alex could see other units in the distance coming to view the spectatcle.

"What happened?" panted Wolf who was nearest to Alex. Alex ignored the question, for now.

"You used it on him, didn't you," said Alex quietly to the Sergeant. "He wasn't trying to escape, you know "

There was no accusational tone in his voice, it was only layered in sadness. The Sergeant sighed.

The Sergeant grimaced and ordered, "What happened here, Cub."

"A combat evaluation," mocked Alex. It was true, Yassen did use the fight to evaluate his skills, but made him uneasy how easily the man had dismissed what he had done to Yassen.

"Cub….." said the Sergeant warningly.

Alex narrowed his eyes and said, "A couple units decided it would be fun attack us, sir."

The Sergeant rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered, "I knew this would happen."

By now, most the SAS from the mess hall had arrived. They were shocked by the scene. More than ten of their soldiers laid unconcious or otherwise on the ground. In the middle of it all was Cub and the assassin. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

The Sergeant was in a difficult position. He knew what his soldiers had done was wrong, but by letting the Alex and the assissin off without any reprucussion would be seen as a betrayal to the SAS in the eyes of his men.

Reluctantly the man said, "Mess hall duty for both parties. I shall be talking to the units seperately as well."

Alex was upset. Yassen and him hadn't instigated anything, they were only defending themselves. Yet, he understood the Sergeant's predicament as well. The Sergeant had to take care of his own, of course.

"Bring medics for the units," called the Sergeant as he began walking away.

"What about Yassen?" voiced Alex.

"He'll wake up in about an hour," replied the Sergeant in a careful tone. He was treading on thin ice here. He knew the boy already identified with the assasssin and didn't want to push the boy farther into the 'enemies' arms.

Alex's eyes became hooded.

"So you're just going to leave him here? He's hurt too." accused Alex. The watching units drew a collective breath.

"He's an assassin," replied the Sergeant. "We're not going to coddle him. He doesn't belong here, anyways."

It was a mistake, on the Sergeant's part. Those words struck a nerve in Alex. It was true that they didn't belong, but it wasn't like either of them wanted to be here in the first place.

"I see," ground out Alex in a tight voice. Without saying another word, he heaved Yassen's body partially onto his shoulders. In his wearied state, his body creaked under the strain of the full grown man.

"Where is his barrack?" snapped out Alex, shifting Yassen's body.

"Cub, what are you doing?" exclaimed the Sergeant. He was bewildered. How deep was the bond between the boy and man? Now the Sergeant wasn't a cruel man, but he just couldn't understand why the boy would go to such lengths for an assassin. An assassin.

"What does it look like?" said Alex. Usually he wouldn't be so disrepectful to the Sergeant, but he was angry at the treatment Yassen was getting. "Since you guys won't do it, I'll take him up."

He didn't get a immediate response. Alex was tired, so tired. "Nevermind, I'll figure it out," he said as he started dragging Yassen up the path.

He said without looking back, "You know, I used to think you were the good guys……"

"He's just an assassin. He….," called out Sergeant.

"….is a human." Finished Alex. "and deserves to be treated like one. He protected me…again."

"You know, in a way, you guys are similar to SCORPIA," called out Alex. "You even use the same methods."

The last part was directed at the Sergeant, who had pressed the button that had knocked Yassen unconcious. It reminded him painfully of Invisible Sword.

Alex marched painfully up the path, his side was killing him. Suddenly the weight was lifted off of him. He looked in surprise as Fox hoisted the man over his shoulder.

"Fox..?" questioned Alex, surprised that the man was helping him.

The man looked down at Alex and said hesitantly, "You're right. I am a bit ashamed of how the SAS has reacted."

The man shook his head. "I won't try to understand what kind of connection you have with Gregorovich, but I can see he is important to you. I'm just trying to help."

In silence the pair walked up to what Alex assumed was Yassen's quarters. The room was sparse with only a bed, table, and chair. Yassen was carefully laid on the bed and Alex pulled the covers up.

Both men walked out a couple minutes later. Fox started to head back to the barracks, but Alex stood still.

"Aren't you coming back?" asked Fox.

"No yet, I just need to think for awhile. Could I just have some alone time?" said Alex guardedly. He didn't want to go back just yet.

Fox sighed and said, "Alright, you'll have a lot of explaining to do once you get back, you know."

"I know," replied Alex as Fox walked on without Alex.

Alex slid down the wall of Yassen's quarters and sat with his knees hugged to his chest. It was already night by then and the stars were out.

He leaned his head against the wooden wall and closed his eyes.

**AN: First of all, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry for the epically late update. I had vacation and school. So I'm soooooo busy. Three AP classes and SATs! But hey, LONGEST chapter yet, so yay! Alright, so anyways, what do you think of this chapter? So, this was kinda hard chapter to write. I wanted to convey some ideas, so it might seem a little disjointed. XD Hmmm, I'll definitely need to fix this one up later to make it smoother. But basically I just wanted the mentor bond between Alex and Yassen to deepen a bit more. I didn't mean to portray the SAS/Sergeant as mean people, but I need some angsty stuff for Alex in here. Something that gives the feel of 'being lost and alone'. Something that shows the harsh reality of life. I dunno, did I accomplish that? You tell me. **

**-Folkvir**


	20. An AUTHOR'S Note!

OH SNAP! An Author's NOTE!!

Okay, okay, I know some of you are mad at me because this is not a new chappie! *hides in corner* But don't worry, this story is not abandoned! It will continue for awhile yet! I've just had a really busy semester and hadn't had much time to focus on the story. Plus I was extremely sick a week ago. My brain is still a bit fuzzy. Anyways, you ask, what is this AN for? Well, I was debating between several situations, and I was wondering what you guys think. So in short, this is kinda like an opinion poll thingy. In a way, an AN poll thingy at the end of the previous chappie is actually a good place, since Alex is on the brink of some important decisions. So here they are. I know the situations are a bit vague, but I want to know who you think Alex should have stronger ties to and what you guys want to see happen.

Relationship One: Alex sides with Yassen.

Relationship Two: Alex sides with K-Unit.

Relationship Three: An independent Alex.

Situation One: Alex reverts back to home life (pssh…..)

Situation Two: Mean MI6 pushes Alex too much (vague on purpose).

Situation Three: Something dramatic with Yassen (hahaha, I like this).

Mmmkay, hopefully the next chapter will be up soon! In the meanwhile, I would love to hear your guys's opinions! They mean a lot to me! Thankies all readers and reviewers for reading this story so far!

Love,

Folky.


	21. Outtake Three: Connections

Outtake Three: Connections

_Wolf paced fustratedly in his unit's barrack while the rest of K-unit sat tensely on the beds. True to his name, Wolf had his teeth bared as he mulled over all the events that happened. The steady scuff of his shoes against the floor was the only sound that could be heard in the barrack._

_Finally Fox could take it no more and said, "Sit down will you! Jeeze, you're giving me a headache."_

_Fox sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Even though Fox was now in M16, he didn't have high enough clearance to know much about the going ons in the upper levels of the organization. He had tried asking about Cub after his first M16 mission, but the heads were very tight-lipped about the teenager. _

_Said man glanced up in irritation and sat down on the nearest bed with an angry huff. _

_"I just don't understand," Wolf burst out. He felt oddly betrayed and confused by Cub's actions. _

_"Join the club," said Eagle, who was curious about Cub and Yassen as well. Snake sat quietly in a corner listening to the conversation with a small furrow on his brow._

_Fox pursed his lips thoughtfully, trying to piece things together in his mind. He knew so little about Cub, but from what he had seen, he was not too surprised to learn that Cub had connections to an assassin. The boy just seemed to attract trouble. _

_"Hey Fox," said Wolf, "You work for M16 now, too. Don't you know anything about Cub? And didn't you say he was there on your last mission?"_

_The rest of the unit perked up eagerly. Fox grimaced. As much as he wanted to tell K-unit about his mission, he knew it was classified and he doubted Cub would want him to reveal everything that had occurred. _

_He replied, "Not much. The heads won't tell me anything about him. Said it was highly classified. What I know of him is what I witnessed during the mission. I know he pissed off several crime organizations. He has amazing fighting skills and is extremely clever at escaping difficult situations. He has the luck of the devil, I swear."_

_"But you don't know anything about the connection with the assassin" asked Wolf, dissappointed._

_Fox shook his head sadly, "Nope."_

_"I just want to know why he would choose Gregorovich over us," said Snake quietly. "I thought he hated SCORPIA."_

_"Why did you carry Gregorovich back?," asked Eagle suddenly._

_Fox started. He knew this question was going to come up._

_Fox replied, "I was helping Cub. Cub is injured, do you expect me to watch while he tries to carry the man back?"_

_The whole group shifted uncomfortably. Truthfully, the whole unit was a bit hurt by Cub's actions today. They knew too well that they hadn't treated their youngest member to well the first time around, but for the kid to choose a contract killer over them was a bit of blow. _

_It was a mystery they couldn't unravel. The unit lapsed back into silence again, waiting for Cub to come back._

* * *

_The Sergeant's head was bowed over a pile of folders as he flicked through them. It was no use, he just couldn't concentrate on the reports at the moment after what had just happened. He slammed a fist onto the desk angrily._

_He knew it! He knew it was a bad idea from the beginning to allow an assassin in Breacon Beacons. To think that the soldiers and an assassin would get along was wishful thinking. And the boy, the boy! Why did the boy have such a strong attachment to Gregorovich! He just didn't understand! The damn M16 wouldn't tell him much about the assassin._

_His eyes landed on a small silver contraption on his desk. It glinted omniously under the bright lighting. He picked it up hesistantly. _

_The small silver box with a black switch on it. His finger hovered over the button. _

_He remembered when Blunt came and handed him the small silver thing. Blunt had told him to use it to keep the assassin under control. A simple flick of his fingers would knock a full grown man unconcious for a few hours. The Sergeant used it for the first time today. He remembered the panicked face of one of the soldiers who notified him that the assassin was fighting. As he was running, he had flicked the switch without a thought. _

_The Sergeant sighed. Was it wrong of him? To have such power over another, it made him uncomfortable. But it was an assasssin, a contract killer! And the boy! _

_He flinched as he thought back to Cub's words. The boy accused him of using SCORPIA methods. Now as he thought about it, he could see the grain of truth in the boy's words. The Sergeant remembered the Invisible Sword operation. Although he was not in on the full details, he now knew why the boy had drawn such parallels. _

_But was he to do? His priority was his soldiers, not the blasted assassin. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He was afraid that he had now pushed Cub further away and towards the assassin with his tactless words. _

* * *

_Yassen tossed fitfully in the drug induced sleep. He was running down an alley with John. They were being chased. With labored breaths, Yassen was trying to support John who had been shot in the leg. Both of them were bloody after their assignment became a little messy. _

_"Just around the corner," whispered Yassen as they were. Angry voices were coming closer and closer. There was spatter of gunfire. The ground behind them tore. _

_John, with a pained grimace on his face, stopped suddenly._

_"What are you doing?" hissed Yassen._

_"We have to fight our way out," said John calmly. "I'll hold them for awhile. The vehicle is just around the corner. Get it!"_

_Yassen gave a fustrated sigh and said, "Are you crazy? There are at least twenty of them!" _

_John gave him a piercing stare, one that Yassen knew he couldn't argue with. Without another word, Yassen tore off. He heard distant shouting the loud cracks of gunfire. He will not allow John to die. _

_With screeching tires, Yassen turned their vehicle into the narrow alleyway. John turned his head toward his apprentice with a slight smile on his face. He knew Yassen had never failed before. _

_Yassen's eyes widened as he saw the influx of more men after them rush into the alley. John was still turned towards him._

_"JOHN!" Yassen screamed inside the car, even though he knew Hunter could not hear him. _

**AN; First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the amazing response to my rather lengthy author's note. Those ideas and opinions that you guys provided were very helpful! It made my day, just reading all of those reviews. Again, thank you guys so much! So, this is another outtake I just had to write. I knew you guys were expecting a chappie, I'm sorry. However that next chappie is coming soon. I've got everything set up in my head, but the words are slowing coming out. Hopefully there will be a chappie coming out before this year ends. I do have a lot of projects and Midterms coming up, so we'll see. Hope to hear from you guys again!**


	22. Chapter 18: Trust

Chapter 18: Trust

**NOTE: Oh and for those of you who don't know, this story is NOT slash. The relationship is here is only that of a mentor/student.

_What a mess,_ thought Alex as he leaned against the wall. He winced as his bruised shoulder scraped against the wooden wall. He wasn't so much upset by the fight, he knew it was coming, but the treatment of the 'enemy' afterwards irked him.

_Black and white._ _That was how the SAS soldiers' minds worked,_ thought Alex crossly. _People were either good or evil according to them. No in betweens. _

_Then again in their line of work, it was prudent to identify who is the enemy at all times, _mused Alex.

He knew that Yassen wasn't a saint, well hell, not even close, but did he derserve the nonhumane treatment from the supposedly 'right' side? Yassen had given him so many chances to live, yet the man killed without a thought as well.

_And what about me, _he pondered. He, too, had killed a great many people, directly or indirectly. Most of them had died gruesomely as well. Burning helicopters. Suicide. Plane engine. Crushed by or thrown off a hot air balloon. In space. In a way, was he even worse than Yassen? Yassen killed cleanly. He chuckled darkly as he imagined the soldiers' reactions if they ever got a hold of this information.

He thought back to Jackal's accusation. It stung to know that he had inadvertendly caused the brother's death. An innocent, but what could he do? He had saved millions at the price of many honorable men. The cost was too great.

Abruptly Alex sat up straight, his fingers digging into the grass next to him. _Stop brooding and feeling sorry for yourself_, said Alex sternly to himself. He thought back to Ian's advice about self-pity. It was better to plan for the future than to wallow about events that you can't change. Alex both loved and hated Ian's lessons. They had saved his life, but had introduced him to this cold harsh world. Life was so full of irony.

Unwilling to delay confrontations any longer, Alex stood up and went inside to check on Yassen before he returned to K-Unit. He tread soft across the wooden floor until he was next to the bed. He felt like one of those creepy stalker psychos in Tom's horror movies while hovering over Yassen.

It was also déjà vu. He remembered several months ago, standing in a similar position with a different intention. Alex was so intent on killing Yassen then, he couldn't believe how much he had changed. He was so close to killing the man, but couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger_. Well, look at me now, _thought Alex.

Yassen twitched in his sleep and his eyes were moving rapidly under his eyelids. Alex eyed one of Yassen's hands which was clenching and unclenching on the covers. A nightmare then.

His hand hovered near the man's shoulder as he contemplated the best way to wake the assassin up without killing himself in the process. Maybe Yassen would think he was the enemy trying to kill him when all he wanted to do was shake the man awake. Who knew what Yassen would do after being interrupted from a nightmare? _Anyone who did probably is dead,_ thought Alex. He doubted the assassin would ever let someone else have the advantage. Except now. Not able to defend himself. Reduced to this.

Alex's hand retreated several inches before it was suddenly grabbed by a much larger hand accompanied by a hushed whisper of "John!" He winced at the assassin's very tight grip on his wrist. There was an awkward pause, full of tension. He decided to ease it.

He cleared his throat and quipped in a mock serious tone, "No, actually the name is Rider. Alex Rider."

To his relief, Yassen's previous tension-filled expression eased into a slight smile. Barely visible, but there.

"Errmm," said Alex eloquently, gesturing to his wrist which the assassin was still holding in a vice-like grip. Yassen glanced down in surprise as if he thought his limbs had a mind of its own.

The pressure was quickly released on Alex's wrist. Alex rubbed the sore wrist gratefully. _That might bruise,_ he though offhandedly.

For second he thought about asking Yassen about the nightmare, but decided against it, giving the man privacy. It was obviously about his father, but he didn't want to pry.

"Well, I reckon I have to go now," said Alex to Yassen, who was very much alert now. He started walking towards the door.

"Were you here the whole time?" asked Yassen's quiet voice. Alex was surprised by this question and stopped his journey to the door.

Alex was slightly embarrassed and nodded his head. A flicker of emotion passed through the assassin's eyes before the face became a blank mask again.

As the teenage spy closed the door behind him, he swore he heard a faint "Thank you" from inside.

It was time to face K-unit. No doubt, they would want explanations, but how much should he let them know? His personal life, on display for everyone to see. No, he didn't like that at all. Then perhaps they have already seen his file anyways?

Alex sighed and walked even slower in the direction of his barrack. He could imagine their expressions right now. Wolf with bared teeth and scowl. Seriously, did the man even have any other expressions beside that? Fox, a knowing look, that man knew the most about me of the group. Snake, probably contemplative and even Eagle, perhaps curious? He knew he had to give them some information, they were his unit after all. They even took bullets for him.

His hand grasped the doorknob to the barrack and pushed open the door. All the K-unit members were sitting on their beds, waiting for him. He shifted uncomfortably in the silence that met his arrival. Alex walked slowly to his bed and sat down. Still, no word was spoken. The tension could be cut with knife.

Finally, Wolf, impatient as always, broke the silence.

"Cub, how did this start?" asked Wolf, in a suprisingly was startled by this question, he had expected them to interrogate him about his relationship with Yassen right away.

All of the members leaned forward to listen to what Alex had to say. Alex was reminded of story time when he was kindegarten.

"Isn't that suppose to be classified? Plus, this is my private life," answered Alex, a bit aggravated. "I don't even know anything about you guys. Heck, I don't even know your real names, well except for Fox's, and you expect me to spill my entire life to you guys?"

There was another awkward pause as the unit pondered Alex's words. They supposed it was a bit unfair of them trying to pry, but they were his unit. And after what they had just witnessed in the past few days, they thought they should deserve a bit more explanation.

Wolf was not about to be deterred. He offered, "My name is James Mendez and I have a sister, Sarah, that is studying to be a nurse."

Snake caught on and supplied, "Brian Walker, only child. I had wanted to become surgeon, but turned to military personnel, obvioiusly.

"Matt White," said Eagle. "Three siblings. My two older twin sisters are in the states studying to become lawyers. My brother, Robbie, wants to follow in my footsteps."

"Well, you already know my name," said Fox, smiling. "No blood siblings, just one stepbrother. And I have a niece, Margaret, that I absolutely adore."

_Huhn, so this is the game they are going to play,_ thought Alex amusedly. _Well, I suppose its give and take._

"Alex Rider, obviously," started Alex, "All family members or relatives are dead, with the exception of Jack, my housekeeper, she is like a sister to me."

Wolf let out a small hiss, surprised that Alex had no living family members left. Eagle's face looked sympathetic.

"MI6," bit out Alex. "You could say the trade runs in the family. Both my father and uncle, Ian and John, were spies who died on the jobs. As did my mother, she worked as a nurse in St. Dominics (I'm not totally sure about the accuracy of this)."

John Rider. Snake had heard of that name. It was a legend in the SAS. He had heard stories about this man, the best soldier that the British SAS had ever trained. The one that had disappeared. _Oh._

"Hell, even my godfather was MI6," spat Alex. "ASH."

Alex snorted derisively, "You've met him Fox."

Fox looked bewildered and said, "But w-when…?"

"Remember that man you shot on Dragon Nine? That was him," said Alex without a trace of grief.

Fox blanched and then looked extrememly pale. He look positively horrified and said, "Good God, Cub, why didn't you tell me! I killed your godfather! I am so sorry. Jeeze!"

Alex laughed darkly and said, "Don't be. I'm glad that traitor is dead. He killed my parents."

K-unit murmured sympathetically. The poor boy. Alex face closed down, he didn't want to say anymore on the subject. The unit obviously wanted to know more, but felt that they had pried enough into the Cub's family life. They moved on to another topic.

"What does MI6 really have you do, Cub?" asked Eagle.

Alex hesistated. This was going towards dangerous territory.

"Do you guys remember Point Blanc?" asked Alex. "It's like that."

Wolf let out a huff of breath. He remembered how lifeless the boy had looked when he found him unconcious in the snow from riding the speeding train. Riding the speeding train! Crazy! Were all of his missions like that?

Snake spoke up, "But that wasn't the end of it, eh? We had one mission in Baghdad, but we were called off several times to clean up some messes by the heads of Special Ops. That was you wasn't it?"

Alex supposed it would be better to get everything out of the way.

He smiled a weary smile, "Most likely."

K-unit knew several prominient individuals had mysterious disappeared in the past several months. They weren't stupid. Even from Cub's vague answers, they deduced the boy had something to do with all of those near disasters. MI6 mostly covered up the details of the situations, but of course some information leaked out to the military personnel who were sent to do clean up.

Fox whistled under his breath. Herod Sayle, Damien Cray, Drevin, all well-known. Gone and suspiciously without much media attention as well. No doubt MI6's touch. He knew there were others that Cub had taken care of.

Then came the topic they were all waiting for.

"And Gregorovich?" questioned Wolf.

"That's complicated," said Alex unwillingly. Wolf raised an eyebrow. That answer was not good enough. He needed to know if the assassin was threat. Well, course the assassin was a threat, but how big of one?

Alex sighed.

"I guess in a way it was his fault for entangling me with MI6," said Alex. Wolf looked like he was about to say something, but Alex held up a hand.

"Let me finish," started Alex. He wondered how to explain to them the complicated relationship he had with Yassen. It was inevitable he had to reveal some more.

"Yassen knew my father," said Alex. "Actually he was my father's apprentice."

Let them chew on that for awhile thought Alex.

The unit looked alarmed. Worked with John Rider. They couldn't wrap their heads around it.

Alex relieved them of their confusion, "John was deep under cover in SCORPIA. I suppose they knew each other very well. And, I-I wanted to know more about my father."

He wasn't finished yet. "But Yassen also killed my uncle, Ian. Which MI6 took advantage of and made me take his place."

"But you still defend him, why?" burst out Wolf.

"Because he gave me chances," said Alex reverantly. In the world he lived in, those chances to live, where a slip up could end you life, were invaluable. The assassin, in his own way had taken care of him when others set out to kill him.

"Chances?" voiced Eagle increduously.

"Yes, I ran into him several times on my missions. At first, I was so intent on killing him. He had killed my uncle, my only kin. Then he also saved my life on my first mission. And many times after that when he could have put a bullet in my head and be done with it, he didn't."

Alex looked upon the unit's bulging eyes and slack-jawed appearences. It was a lot to take in, he had to admit. He, himself, wasn't so sure what made him feel close the assassin.

Alex chuckled. "Mind you, I didn't get off scotch free. I did have to prove myself." He thought back to the bullring episode.

"But in the end, he even died, well okay almost died, for me," said Alex. "Took the bullet that was meant for me."

The unit took a moment to process all of this information. So the seemingly cold heartless bastard did have a soft spot. They would still have to watch their backs around the guy, but Cub was probably safe. As safe as you can be with an assassin, at least.

Then Fox spoke, "Cub, this question has been on mind quite awhile."

"What is it?" asked Cub, warily.

"Well, how did you becomed embroiled with SCORPIA?" he asked.

"I wanted to know more about my father," answered Alex honestly. He didn't want to give anymore information besides that.

Frankly, the whole unit thought it would be some dramatic event such as the organization capturing Alex because of John's betrayal.

Eagle laughed nervously. "Couldn't have chosen a less dramatic way, eh?"

Alex's mouth quirked up, "Well, you know me."

A sudden jaw-breaking yawn caught Alex off-guard. He wondered what time it was. He was knackered.

"Well," said Wolf, a bit sheepishly, rubbing his neck ruefully. "Errm sorry for the interrogation."

The other members nodded in agreement. They felt bad prying this much information from the boy.

Alex merely nodded in acceptance. He didn't blame them for wanting to know. Maybe they would understand him better now.

"I trust all that I have told you will be kept confidential?" prompted Alex.

"Of course," they all answered.

Wolf announced with a tiny smile. "You're one us. We got your back."

As each of them got ready for bed, they contemplated the new level of understanding they had attained. Cub had shown K-unit a large amount of trust revealing what he has to them. K-unit understood what they had received today from the teenage spy was precious. In the military world, trust was a rare gift. Unknowningly, Alex had gained K-unit's complete loyalty.

**AN:**** First of all, I would like to thank all of my wonderful reveiwers. You are guys are sooooo awesome and are my motivation for continuing the story. Again, THANK YOU so much reviewers!!! So, what do you guys think of this chapter? I think the longest one so far in this story. Honestly, it was the hardest one I had to write so far. I wasn't sure how much info I wanted Alex to reveal to K-unit. That was why this chapter is up so late. But then I thought, hey, if K-unit knew a bit more about Alex, I could bind them more closely to Alex (for future use of course, XD). Don't worry, there will be much more plot twists and such coming up. I tend to write an actiony chappie and then a reactionary chappie. So guess what, more action next chappie!!! Yay! Alright so enough of me babbling. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (is it realistic?). Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Love,**

**Folky**

**P.S: I have new goal. I hope to get at least 1000 reviews by the time this story is finished. Think I can do it? **


	23. Chapter 19: Click

**Chapter 19: Click**

As the early morning rays filtered in through the windows of the barrack, Alex woke up. Suprisingly, he had slept well last night. In a way, revealing some of his personal life had taken a load off his shoulders. They now understood him, it was more than Alex could hope for.

Still a bit sore from yesterday's brawl, Alex slowly slipped on his uniform. He touched his jaw gingerly and winced. He could tell there was a bruise there. As if he didn't already have enough injuries.

Feelings eyes upon him, Alex glanced at his unit. Fox was awake and staring at him. Alex straightened his clothes and patted his face. He hoped there wasn't something disgusting on his face. Like the trail of drool on Eagle's cheek. He snickered lightly.

"Think I'm handsome enough to do modeling?" joked Alex, aware that Fox was still staring at him. "I bet I could pull off that tortured hero look."

There was something akin to sorrow mixed with amusement in Fox's eyes as he looked at Alex. His eyes raked over the multiple bruises gracing the young boy's body. Especially the face. The purple blue bruise on the boy's cheek looked much worse in the morning than it did last night.

Fox chuckled slightly and said, "Well, you'll definitely place before Eagle here."

They both looked at the unattractive trail of drool down Eagle's chin. Eagle, who had woken up by now glared blearily at the pair.

"What's going on?" grunted Wolf, who was woken up by his teammates talking.

"Nothing, nothing," grinned Alex. "You guys better hurry up or you'll miss breakfast."

And with that he walked out of the barrack. Ten minutes later, K-unit could be seen making their way to the mess hall. Cub was already seated, sitting again near Yassen.

K-unit decided to make their statement. After receiving their food, all four members plopped down at the same table as Cub. Granted they were not sitting directly next to the pair of 'outcasts', but it was near enough for the rest of the hall to understand.

Wolf glared at anyone who dared to attempt to make a comment. Several minutes later, the Jackal and his unit came walking in. No, more like limped into the mess hall. They did not look happy. Of course, their egos as well as their bodies had just received a brutal beating. K-unit visibly tensed up, but they had nothing to worry about. All the other group do was throw a rather weak glare over at where Alex and Yassen were sitting.

Alex winced inwardly as he remembered what his first class was. The shooting range. Great, undoubtly, he would receive another round of curious stares today. Alex sighed and got up to dump his tray.

The trek to the shooting range was short and silent. Yassen came with him to observe his shooting skills. They were one of the first people to arrive. Alex looked around the range. It felt familiar, even comfortable. The teacher was checking the weapons at each station. The teacher threw a wary glance at Yassen who was standing next to Alex. Granted, who wouldn't be nervous where a weapon was so close to an assassin.

After a few minutes, he heard the murmuring that signaled more soldiers arriving. The rowdy new recruits soon filed in. They were talking quite loudly, often throwing glances toward Alex's direction. Alex rolled his eyes.

"You'll each be assigned a station," said the teacher as the soldiers gathered around. "You shoot at the targets. The machine will record your accuracy."

"Is he shooting with us?" asked one of the skeptical recruits. The question was almost phrased to include both Yassen and Alex. Alex ignored the man. He was more focused on weighing the weapon in his hands.

The instructor hmmphed and replied, "Well, that's what the higher-ups requested. Personally, I don't like putting a firearm in the hands of someone so young, even if he knows unusual amount of facts about weaponry."

The blond stoney-eyed teen certainly didn't look young as he stood there examining the gun with the eye of a professional.

'Treat the gun as an extension of your arm' echoed in Alex's mind. Alex stuck the ear plugs in. He was ready. Already sliding into his assassin mode as if he was slipping on another outfit.

"You may start," called the instructor.

Alex brought up the gun and fired. Again. And again. Continuously without stopping. It was instinctive shooting. He did not pause to aim unlike the other recruits. Each bullet went through the dead center of the target. Stationary targets, moving targets, circle-shaped targets. Finally human-shaped targets.

There was a slight hesitation and shake in his hands before Alex shot at the humanoid shaped targets. But only slightly. The bullets went in the vital areas. Heart. Head. Major arteries.

Suddenly there was a flicker of movement behind him to the right. It wasn't Yassen who had moved. The assassin was standing stock still, Alex knew. Alex felt rather than saw the movement. A disturbance in the air.

All his senses aware and in overdrive, Alex whipped around. He was still in his killer like trance. The gun was still in his hand. And it was pointing and touching the chest of a man in a very familiar gray suit jacket.

Silence. All guns had ceased firing. Everyone present was staring at the boy and head of MI6. Blunt, in all his gray glory, was at the receiving end of a gun. It had been thirty years since Blunt had been in a similar situation. Last time it had lost him his family.

Unbeknownst to Alex, Blunt had arrived quite early to personally observe Alex's shooting skills among other things. Unfortunately for him, he chose to stand behind Alex and triggered the boy's reflexes while trying to fix his jacket cuff.

Click. The ominous sound was loud in the silent range. Alex had pulled the trigger. But there was no screaming or shouts of anger. There were no more bullets in the gun. Alex already knew this. He had been counting carefully, each of his shots.

The silence was oppressive. So tense you couldn't even hear anyone breathing. Alex studied the face of the head of MI6. Blunt seemed expressionless to the surrounding soldiers, but Alex, trained in the SCORPIA ways, caught the flash of fear and the minute tensing of muscles. Blunt's mouth was slightly open as if he was just about to draw a breath.

Then there was hand on his shoulder. Alex relaxed his stance a bit. He turned to Yassen who shook his head minutely. The message was conveyed. _Be careful._

Almost nonchalantly Alex tossed the empty gun onto the table and took out his earplugs. It had been peaceful for him when he had the earplugs in. A way of deadening the world around him. Now the sound rushed back in. There was a low murmur in the range. Most of the soldiers looked shocked. Some a bit angry, others awed.

Alex's voice cut through the air. "What brings you here? Another emergency?"

Blunt blanched for a moment. "No…..not yet. What makes you think I'm-"

Alex shot Blunt a disbelieving look.

"Right…" acquiesced Blunt. "Well, I just wanted to check on the state of your training."

Alex was suspicious. Since when did Blunt make personal check-ups on agents. He could have called the camp any day to inquire about how he was coming along. No, there had to be something more. Alex was nervous. He did not know what he was nervous about, which made it all the more frightening. His gut predictions had never been wrong.

"Remember our agreement?" asked Alex. He tugged at the hem of his sleeve fretfully, almost dreading the answer.

Blunt seemed to pause slightly before answering, as if he was choosing his words carefully.

"She is doing fine." Said Blunt. Alex narrowed his eyes.

Alex still couldn't shake that feeling away, the one that was twisting his insides into a pretzel. There was something Blunt was not telling him.

"I should hope so," answered Alex. His tone hinted at the could-be disastrous consequences if Jack was not doing okay.

There was another awkward silence before Blunt decided it was time for him to leave.

"I'll leave you to your…studies then," said Blunt finally as he walked out of the range. The whole exchange had been awkward and full of tension, but Blunt had got what he came here for.

"My God," came an awed whisper from across the room. The instructor had went to collect the data from the machines. Only one station had scored above a 90% on accuracy. Not only above 90%, but a 99% on accuracy. It was Alex's station.

"Who is he?," someone whispered.

The instructor asked sharply, "How did you learn to shoot like that, kid?"

"I had very good teachers," said Alex vaguely. He would say nothing more and left.

While walking to the hospital, Yassen said, "You did well, but I expect you to achieve 100% the next time."

Alex nodded. He knew the assassin expected perfection. There was no room for mistakes in his world. Luckily Yassen chose not to comment on his encounter with Blunt. Even though the assassin's face wore a grimace when Blunt had been present.

It was soon time for Alex to go to his therapist, Mia again for his daily session. She would surely hear about his debacle today. What would he say? That he wanted to scare Blunt a bit, perhaps? A small form a revenge for all the sufferings the man had put him through? That it reminded him of that time when the Commander caught him trying to escape from Skeleton Key? He shuddered. Even a more pressing matter was Blunt's unexpected visit.

Alex sighed. He was tired, so tired. Yassen shot him a fleeting look of concern before leaving the boy in front of the hospital.

Meanwhile, Blunt was getting into his window-tinted vehicle. He told the driver, Royal and General as the car rolled forwards.

The windows were so dark, no one could see who was inside. If they could, they would have only seen Blunt and that little frown on his usually expressionless face.

**AN: Okaay. Do you hate me? Maybe…..a hate/love feeling then? Buuuuut, I AM SOOOOO SORRY FOR THE VERY VERY VERY LONG period of no chapters. But please don't give up on the story! It won't be abandoned, don't worry! Its because I have been extremely busy spring of junior year, a very important year. Now that its summer, I will try to write a little faster, even with ewwy college applications. Gosh, even I had to reread my story to get back into the frenzy again. **

**So anyways, what did you guys think of the chapter? I'm not sure if it was realistic, but I've had this scene in my head for a loooong time and just had to write it. Good, bad, you tell me? Good thing is I finally got more of my thoughts in order which hopefully will help me crank out chapters faster. I think there might be a outtake next chappie, got to explain some more stuff, ya know?**

**I would also like to thank all of my reviewers who are being patient with me. You do not know how much I appreciate and love you guys. Seriously, you guys make me the happiest writer ever! Anyways, I hope you guys haven't forgotten the beginning of the story, LOL, so reread! Ahahhaa, its been awhile, no? But please, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW. The next chapters will depend a lot on the reactions from this one. THANK YOU EVERYONE!**

**-Folky**


	24. Chapter 20: The Line

**Chapter 19: The Line**

To Alex's surprise, the next few days passed rather quickly and without more confrontations. Of course, tensions still ran high, but everyone kept it in check. Alex and Yassen were not to be trifled with and K-unit had the kid's back. It was inexplicable, but the grounds felt like it was a war on standby, an unwritten treaty in place.

And in this fashion, Alex trained, studied, and recovered. Even Mia saw vast improvments concerning his psyche.

Coming into the camp, Alex had failed the pscyhe test. She had worried that these past missions had taken a huge irreversible toll upon the young child's mind. However, she realized that Alex had long stopped being a child, he had matured beyond his years.

Gradually he opened up to her, not fully to disclose his missions, but enough for her to underestand exactly why he endured. Alex had an unfailing sense of duty and responsibility. It was something rare and admirable in one so young. Alex had handled these situations far better than any soldiers that come through her office. She could only hope that MI6 stopped using him before something truly unfixable happens.

Alex's bond to K-unit and Yassen became stronger than ever. Even through unspoken words, they understood each other. It was bonds borne through enduring both camraderie and suffering alike.

For Alex, Yassen became somewhat of a pseudo-godfather or perhaps more of a mentor. Alex had enough of godfathers, his last experience with one hadn't really endeared him to trust anyone else easily.

Both Alex and Yassen hated the thin silver accesory that kept Yassen chained to the camp. To them, it was a symbol of imprisonment that both of them could not escape. For Alex, MI6, and Yassen, physical freedom.

K-unit had been and continued to be his brothers in combat. This squadron he trusted his life with. They had proved themselves to be pillars Alex could rely on.

Soon enough the last day of training camp had arrived. It was a sigh of relief for both the soldiers as well as Alex. The forced peace had almost come to a point and something was bound to happen if it continued anylonger.

Alex himself, was excited to leave. He felt both physically and evenly mentally a bit better, surprisingly. _Figures, one of the places I actually feel revived is in a boot camp, _thought Alex. However, Alex yearned to see Jack, the one thing that had been constant in his entire life. But he did wonder what was going to happen to Yassen once he left.

It was obvious the reason Yassen was at the camp was to train him, but what is MI 6 goining to do with him now? Was MI 6 going to kill the assassin, or maybe sedate him until the next time they would need him? Alex wouldn't put it past them. He knew they were ruthless when it comes to achieving their goals. There must be someway to help Yassen, Alex thought. _Well, it wasn't exactly easy to help an international known assassin without landing oneself on the world's most wanted list, _thought Alex wryly.

These were the questions that flitted through Alex's mind as he loaded his duffle bag onto the back of the Jeep.

Unbeknownst to him, the Seargant had already sedated Yassen and was preparing him to be transferred back to Royale and General on the same route Alex was going on. As much as the man appreciated the assassin assissting Cub, he hated the man residing at his camp even more. It just wasn't meant to be. He was glad to wash his hands clean of the assassin, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel an unease when the man was out of his sight.

Finally, the last man boarded the vehicles, and three Jeeps peeled out of the camp heading back towards London.

Leaning back on the seats, Alex asked Wolf, "So where are Fox and Snake? I thought they were going to ride with us."

Wolf started and fixed his collar nervously. Something was not quite right, Alex could feel it.

"Oh, they are sitting with some equipment we have on the other Jeeps," replied Wolf.

For the rest of the ride, it was quite, leaving Alex to ponder his own thoughts. What would MI 6 have in store for him now? I hoped he would be allowed back in school, though that was rather a vain hope. He didn't think MI 6 sent him to the camp just to keep him safe. There were several bunkers they could have used otherwise.

Soon enough, they were turning onto the familiar street that led to his home.

Inside the Rider home was bustling activity. Almost all the lights were on and Jack was hurrying to and fro to prepare the house for Alex's arrival. She missed Alex immensly and couldn't wait to see him. Though she hated the thought of him spending time with the government, she couldn't help appreciate the fact that he was probably the safest at the camp.

It had been annoying at first, having so many guards circulating the neighborhood. They had been dressed in civilian clothing, but she could tell at a glance by the way they walked, that they did not belong. But it was not matter, Alex was coming back!

Happily, she set the table and glanced at the clock. He would be here in 5 minutes! She had made him his favorite soup. _Well, there should be enough time for me to dump these peels in the compost bin out back, _thought Jack.

Quickly she gathered the left over vegetable parts and headed towards the back door.

Alex could see all the lights were on his house. _Jack was probably whipping up one of her famous creations, _thought Alex. He knew she loved to experiment with her dishes. Luckily they all tasted alright, with perhaps one or two mishaps along the way.

Finally the Jeeps pulled up to the sidewalk a few doors down from his house. He pulled his duffle bag from the mix and headed down the road with the other men following behind. It had started drizzling. He hoped he would make it inside before it started pouring.

It was then he felt it. Saw it.

It felt like his world was crashing down.

No, it was worse, much worse.

_It was as if someone had hooked up his house to his bycicyle pump,_ thought Alex disbelievingly, as the house bulged outward and exploded into a thousand shards.

It was strangely silent, as if everything was on mute.

Alex didn't feel it at all as Wolf tackled him to the ground as pieces of burning wood and glass flew around them.

There was a odd pressure in Alex's head. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't hear. He could not stop seeing.

And then someone flipped a switched. All the sound and horror became real, much too real.

Alex scrambled up from Wolf's grip and started running towards the burning remains of the house. He heard an awful keening sound and looked around before realizing that he was the maker of the sound.

Words could not describe the grief he was feeling. _Jack, JACK, JACK! _screamed Alex mentally and physically. _This was not happening. It was not. It was not. Oh god. Where is Jack?_

Arms caught him in the middle midway across the lawn. He struggled, bit, kicked the arms that held him prisoner, the ones preventing him from seeing Jack. He was sobbing, thrashing, fighting more wildly than any wildcat.

Wolf, with tears streaming down his face held the boy tight. He could not let Cub run in there, as much as he wanted to run in there himself. He could not stop the immense grief he felt as he watched the fire rage in the house which held the remains of Alex's last family. He held him tight.

The boy suddenly became very still in his arms. Wolf looked down, fearing that Cub had passed out from the trauma. Instead, he saw something that he feared most.

The boy's eyes were clear. The warm brown had frozen into something harder than diamond. They were full of pain, fear, suffering, and hate.

Alex could not feel anything, but at the same time could not stop feeling everything. His anguish burned the very blood in his veins. He had to get away form here, away from everything.

Those he had trusted, had betrayed him, in the worst way possible. He had believed that they would keep Jack safe, yet the reality lay in front of him. His house in smithereens, with Jack inside. He had enough.

Catching Wolf by surprise, with a few practiced moves, he knocked the older man down. Enough to wind him and give himself enough time to escape. As he turned to run, Alex saw something metallic on the ground. It must have fallen out of Wolf's pocket. On instinct, he nabbed it form the ground and stuffed it in his pocket.

No one paid him much heed as he weaved through the wreckage. It was a mess, firemen, bomb squads, people everywhere. The rest of K-unit was busy scouring the area for possible further enemies.

Alex started running.

The pounding of his feet on the pavement drove him faster and faster away from the scene.

He didn't want to think. He didn't want to feel.

He just wanted to run, run forever, leaving everything behind.

But he wasn't running away, oh no.

He was going to find out who did this and take revenge.

Alex wiped the wetness from his eyes. His sweat, his tears, his blood, the rain washed them all away.

In the third Jeep, Yassen stirred on his cot. The sedation was only meant for a limited amount of time and that time had passed. Yassen could feel his heart quickening, the lethargy leaving his body.

Strangely as he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a vehicle. He heard quite a commotion outside.

"Stay where you are." Said a voice commandingly. He turned his head and saw the man he recognized as Snake, one of Alex's soldiers holding a gun to his head. Fox had already gone outside to help, and unfortunately Snake was left by himself.

Snake knew that the drug would wear off soon and decided stand guard over the assassin while his fellow soldier went out. But he knew himself, that he was no match for Yassen.

Yassen knew this was his chance. He had enough experience with guns to his head to be properly fearful of them any longer. Frighteningly calm and lightning quick, he dispatched Snake. Of course, it was only to knock the other man out. He knew that Alex would not like it if Snake was killed.

As he opened the truck doors, he was met with a cacophony of sounds and smells. His eyes zeroed in at the burning house and the mass of people trying to salvage what was left. _This must be the boy's house _thought Yassen. He sighed.

His eyes raked the scene as he tried to find Alex, who was no where to be seen.

Knowing his trigger box had to have come on the trip, he scoured the scene for a second man, Wolf. He knew it had to be in his hands, they would not have left the soldiers defenseless against him on the trip.

Finding Wolf on the ground knocked out, Yassen patted him down. He found nothing. Too late to search anymore, as another soldier spotted him outside, Yassen headed for the shadows.

In the distance he saw another figure.

The two ghosts blended into the darkness.

FIN.

**A/N: righto…..wow, so I haven't updated in so long! Omggg. So a lot of you probably hate me for what seems like an abondment, right? Haha, but no, I did finish this story. Hopefully, this ending isn't too heartbreaking for y'all. **

**However don't you worry, there will be a sequel! I promise! **


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